Sectarianism and Civil War in Syria

As an epicentre of sectarian conflict before and after the Arab uprising, Syria provides an excellent laboratory for the study of sectarianization. This book compares variance in Syria’s sectarianism over time and across place in order to expose its causes and its varying impact on Syria’s society and polity.

The book begins with an introductory chapter examining key approaches to and debates over sectarianism in Syria, from which a framework of analysis is derived. Subsequent empirical chapters are divided into two sections. Several chapters examine key aspects of sectarianism at the national level, looking at the interaction of sectarianism and state formation over the long term; the internal evolution of sectarianization during the uprising; the impact of the regional power struggle on Syria’s sectarianization; and whether sectarianism was institutionalized by civil war governance in both regime- and opposition-controlled areas. A second set of chapters looks at sectarianism in Syria’s different cities, regions and communities, notably in Damascus, Homs, Hama, Aleppo, Idlib, the Alawi coast, and the Druze and Christian communities. The concluding chapter makes use of the analytical framework to systematically compare the evidence from the empirical cases in order to identify regularities.

Providing nuanced insights into the Syrian case whilst informing broader theoretical discussions of sectarianism, the book will appeal to students, researchers and general readers interested in Middle Eastern politics and political science generally.