Full 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 com--plicity in the excesses of the Assad regime, claims that have gained greater traction since the onset of the Syrian uprising and subse--quent devastating civil war. The contributors to this book provide a com--plex 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 social identities, and relations to the Ba'ath party, the Syrian state and the military apparatus. The analysis also extends to Leba--non with a focus on the embattled 'Alawi community of Jabal Mohsen in Tripoli and state rela--tions with Hizballah amid the current crisis.
Contents
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 H 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 Alawi Conundrum -- Raphael Lefevre
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
