Syria from Reform to Revolt - (Modern Intellectual and Political History of the Middle East) by Leif Stenberg & Christa Salamandra (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

As Syria's anti-authoritarian uprising and subsequent civil war have left the country in ruins, the need for understanding the nation's complex political and cultural realities remains urgent. The second of a two-volume series, Syria from Reform to Revolt: Culture, Society, and Religion draws together closely observed, critical and historicized analyses, giving vital insights into Syrian society today.

With a broad range of disciplinary perspectives, contributors reveal how Bashar al-Asad's pivotal first decade of rule engendered changes in power relations and public discourse--dynamics that would feed the 2011 protest movement and civil war. Essays focus on key arenas of Syrian social life, including television drama, political fiction, Islamic foundations, and Christian choirs and charities, demonstrating the ways in which Syrians worked with and through the state in attempts to reform, undermine, or sidestep the regime. The contributors explore the paradoxical cultural politics of hope, anticipation, and betrayal that have animated life in Syria under Asad, revealing the fractures that obstruct peaceful transformation. Syria from Reform to Revolt provides a powerful assessment of the conditions that turned Syria's hopeful Arab spring revolution into a catastrophic civil war that has cost over 200,000 lives and generated the worst humanitarian crisis of the twenty-first century.

Review Quotes

A solid understanding of why different groups in Syria wanted to revolt and how discontent shaped the country's political situation.-- "Middle East Monitor"

An informative and knowledgeable volume of essays whose contributions will be of enduring importance to scholars of Syria.-- "Lisa Wedeen, professor of political science, University of Chicago"

This second volume deals with the visual arts, Christians in Syria, merchants, and Muslim organizations. Recommended.-- "Choice"

About the Author

Christa Salamandra is associate professor of anthropology at Lehman College and the Graduate Center, the City University of New York.

Leif Stenberg is professor of Islamology and director of the Center for Middle Eastern Studies at Lund University. He is coeditor of Globalization and the Muslim World: Culture, Religion, and Modernity.