Abstract
The author describes the tight, inward-looking structure of Lebanese village society, its basic dependence on the land, the event- and person-oriented conceptions of time and space, the peasant mystique of nature, and the kinship-oriented concept of people, marriage, and sex. Concepts of the supernatural are basically Muslim (in the villages studied), but strongly colored by the pre-Islamic nature cult. Missionaries attempting to work in such villages must learn to accept and appreciate existing culture and social structure and minimize the disruption caused by their own presence. The author lists various implications, and expresses cautious optimism about the possibilities of long-range work based on close identification with village people.
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