This dissertation is a literary critique of select Lebanese theater, television, and film from the 1980s and 1990s (the Civil War and post-war periods) that deal with sectarianism and language. This is not a study of media. The dissertation shows that the fictional Lebanons, created in the studied works, are distorted because they are based on two contradictory sets of assumptions. The first set of assumptions is taken from developmentalism, which predicts that nationalism will defeat its nemesis, sectarianism, if there is better education, particularly in language. Therefore, the works I explore present fictional stories that represent linguistically and politically regulated Lebanons. The second set of assumptions comes from the creators' visions of Lebanons free from linguistic and political regulation. In order to fit in both sets, the creators bend the internal logic of their works. This makes the fictional stories appear distorted. Rather than resolve the contradictions, the creators attempt to mask them. These representational contradictions are the focus of the study. I conclude that non-sectarian Lebanon is a utopia that cannot be represented.

The works that this dissertation discusses are The Republic of Insanitolia: The Country Formerly Called Lebanon (1977), a play; the language sitcom My Aunt's Home (1987–1989, 1991), the middle-school drama Teacher Mandur (1986), both television series; and the feature movie, West Beyrouth (1998).