The Alawis of Syria
War, Faith and Politics in the Levant
Published on 12. January 2015
404 pages
978-0-19-061314-3 (ISBN)
Description
Throughout the turbulent history of the Levant the 'Alawis - a secretive, resilient and ancient Muslim sect - have aroused suspicion and animosity, including accusations of religious heresy. More recently they have been tarred with the brush of political separatism and complicity in the excesses of the Assad regime, claims that have gained greater traction since the onset of the Syrian uprising and subsequent devastating civil war.
The contributors to this book provide a complex and nuanced reading of Syria's 'Alawi communities -from loyalist gangs (Shabiha) to outspoken critics of the regime. Drawing upon wide-ranging research that examines the historic, political and social dynamics of the 'Alawi and the Syrian state, the current tensions are scrutinised and fresh insights offered. Among the themes addressed are religious practice, social identities, and relations to the Ba'ath party, the Syrian state and the military apparatus. The analysis also extends to Lebanon with a focus on the embattled 'Alawi community of Jabal Mohsen in Tripoli and state relations with Hizballah amid the current crisis.
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12/2015
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Content
Introduction: For God, Syria, Bashar and nothing else?
Michael Kerr
Part I. Alawis: Secrecy and Survival
1. The Genesis of Syria's Alawi Minority
Aslam Farouk Alli
2. The Alawis in the Ottoman Period
Stefan Winter
3. Community, Sect, Nation: Colonial and Social Scientific Discourses on the Alawis in Syria during the Mandate and Early Independence Periods
Max Weiss
Part II. Alawis and the Syrian State
4. 'Go to Damascus, my son': Alawi Demographic Shifts under Ba'ath Party Rule
Fabrice Balanche
5. Syrian Alawis and the Ba'ath Party
Raymond Hinnebusch
6. The Syrian Muslim Brotherhood's Alawis Conundrum
Raphaël Lefèvre
Part III. Alawi Communities, Identities and Power
7. Alawi Diversity and Solidarity from the Coast to the Interior
Leon T. Goldsmith
8. Patronage and Clientelism in Bashar's Social Market Economy
Alan George
9. The Alawis of Tripoli: Identity, violence and urban geopolitics
Craig Larkin and Olivia Midha
Part IV. Alawis in Conflict and Contestation
10. Chasing Ghosts, the Shabiha Phenomenon
Aron Lund
11. Alawis in the Syrian Opposition
Carsten Wieland
12. Repression is not 'a Stupid Thing': Regime Responses to the Syrian Uprising and Insurgency
Reinoud Leenders
