This thesis focuses on political integration of Lebanese Druze in political parties in Lebanon. The objective of the study is to investigate the duality of belonging both to a sect and to a political party among Druze partisans in Lebanon. Generally speaking, Lebanon as a political unit is constitutionally based on communal representations, This applies to the Druze as well as other sects in Lebanon, However, the Druze are of particular interest because their sect, unlike the others, is closed to new converts. This characteristic seems to contribute to the creation and perpetuation of a "Druze" communal identity. This identity is even more politically reinforced by conflicts with other sects such as the ones prevailing today. Yet it is a noticeable fact that Lebanese Druze are relatively distributed among a variety of political parties advancing different political ideologies and not all based on sectarian identities. Each party as a political formation in itself, irrespective of whether it is communal or not, sustains the political identity of its members through its national political claim or ideology. Thus, political integration in the party depends largely on assimilation of its national political ideology as opposed to the communal identity of the individual member, the Druze in this case. It is in this perspective that this research will study political integration of the Druze in political parties. The analysis will consist of investigating each type of identity, i.e. communal and partisan, and then examining the relationship between them. The political parties which will be sampled in this inquiry are the Lebanese Communist Party (LCP), the Syrian Social Nationalist Party CSSNP), the Progressive Socialist Party (PSP), They were chosen because, although at least one of them has become communal and sectarian, they were founded on a non-sectarian basis. For when they were founded in 1924, 1932 and 1949 respectively, membership was (and still is relatively) accessible to the people who identified with their national ideologies regardless of their sect. The relevance of these parties to the Druze lies in what seems to be a common and constant tendency for Druze individuals to join them. This thesis will attempt to examine the ideological link between the three political parties and the Druze community in general. The researcher will then proceed to investigate the level of political integration through interviews with Lebanese Druze partisans of the respective parties. Some potential interview questions are: "Why did you join the party?"; "What factors determined your choice of the party?"; "What would be your reaction if your party and your sect came under conflict The followings are the general hypothetical propositions 1. If communal identity is predominant and stronger than identification with the ideological principles of the party, then political integration in the party is likely to be low. Consequently, the overall political identity of Druze partisans is communal, traditional and sectarian regardless of the political circumstances which might surround the Druze or prevail in Lebanon. 2. If identification with the ideological principles of the party is predominant and stronger than communal identity, then political integration is likely to be high.consequently, the political identity of Druze partisans is ideological, rational and secular, regardless of the prevailing political circumstances. 3. If communal identity and identification with the ideological principles of the party interplay, the political integration in the party is mainly a function of political circumstances external to the Druze individual himself. In this case, political integration of a Druze partisan in his party depends on his perception and understanding of the political events surrounding his community, and Lebanon, as well as the party itself. The general purpose of this study is to present an understanding of :he nature of Druze participation in political parties in Lebanon. It will hopefully distinguish between participation in the party and integration in ;he party. The study will also contribute to testing whether there is a tevelopment from a traditional to a rational political identity among the Druze in Lebanon. Chapter I provides a historical background of the Druze in Lebanon, rhis descriptive chapter emphasizes the demographic, social, economic, 'eligious and political traits which play a role in shaping the self-image of .he Druze community in Lebanon. Chapter II studies the Druze in the context of the Lebanese society ind the state structure in the country. This chapter consists of three sections. The first section reviews the political participation of the Druze in the struggle for independence of Lebanon; the second section overviews the Druze participation and integration in the Lebanese society; and the third section reviews their attitudes towards the state system. Chapter III presents a brief summary of the three relevant political parties. The summary includes a general background of the birth anc growth of each party; it also includes a brief summary of the basic ideological principles of each party. The last section of this chapter will involve comparing the ideologies of the three parties, as well as their socio-political composition. Chapter IV describes the research techniques used for conducting the fieldwork (interviews) and the method of coding, tabulating and analyzinc the results (the content analysis method). Chapters V and VI present the results of the interviews, and then the Interpretations of the results. A conclusion follows chapter V!. The conclusion purposes to state the final remarks concerning the inquiry in general.