Sectarianism saturates our conversations about the Middle East, its politics and society, and the divide between Sunni and Shi’a captures headlines the world over. But in reality, sectarian difference is far from a uniquely Islamic phenomenon. Throughout the region, religious and communitarian schisms play out in politics, economics and theology, across religions and borders.

But how did these divisions come to be? And who is gaining from them?

Simon Mabon examines sectarianism in the modern Middle East, moving beyond our simplistic conceptions of ancient religious hatreds and violence. Sectarian identities are as much a product of colonial and post-colonial state building as they are of religious belief, and they operate as a means to include and exclude certain groups. Ranging from Iraq and Iran to Lebanon, Saudi Arabia and Israel, Mabon explores how divisions are produced, regulated and contested over time—and how they have shaped the lives of people across the region.

This event serves as the official launch of Schism: The Story of Sectarianism in the Modern Middle East (https://yalebooks.co.uk/book/9780300276138/schism/), published by Yale University Press in May 2026.

Speaker: Professor Simon Mabon

About the Speaker

Professor Simon Mabon is Chair in International Politics and Discipline Lead for International Relations in the School of Global Affairs at Lancaster University. He is the director of SEPAD, the Sectarianism, Proxies and De-Sectarianization project and author of books including Schism: The Story of Sectarianism in the Modern Middle East (Yale University Press, 20206), The Struggle for Supremacy in the Middle East: Saudi Arabia and Iran (Cambridge University Press, 2023), Houses built on sand: Violence, revolution and sectarianism in the Middle East (Manchester University Press, 2020). He served as Academic Advisor to the House of Lords International Relations Committee inquiry into the UK relations with the Middle East during the 2016-17 academic year.