Landwehr, Patrick
(2018)
Moving Beyond the Syrian Identity-Based Conflict.
Master thesis, Master Religion Conflict and Globalisation.
Abstract
This thesis aims to analyse how the Alawite identity was historically constructed from the ninth century till 2016. A historical analysis of the Alawi identity may contribute to a better understanding of the construction of pervasive sectarian identities that are common in the current Syrian Civil War. The Alawites, a minority group, are often considered as staunch supporters of the Assad-regime because the Assad family are also Alawis. The fear of the Alawite community to be massacred by the Sunni majority and extreme Islamist groups is an important aspect of why many Alawites still tend to support the Assad-regime. Anti-Alawite rhetoric based on fatwas from medieval religious scholars are often used in the sectarian language deployed by Sunni militias. Alawite sectarian myths and pervasive identities need to be deconstructed in order to achieve sustainable peace in a post-conflict society. Historical knowledge of the Alawite identity could therefore contribute to the actual implementation of peacebuilding activities that deal with Syrian identity issues. After the theoretical framework of chapter 1, the second chapter aims to show that Western travel and orientalists’ documents, fatwas of Sunni religious scholars, Alawite literature, Western scholarly endeavour, and the media have all contributed to a pervasive Alawite collective memory, identity and myths that are well-known inside and outside the Alawi community. To move beyond sectarianism it is firstly necessary to achieve negative peace and secondly to stop the literary trope of Alawite persecution by Sunnis and to move beyond the “Alawites are non-Muslims identity” categorisation. Although difficult, this thesis suggests in the last chapter that trough social structural change and addressing the root sources of the conflict it might be possible to overcome Syrian identity issues, such as the Alawite identity.
| Type: |
Thesis
(Master)
|
| Supervisors (RUG): |
| Supervisor | E-mail | Tutor organization | Tutor email |
|---|
| Tarusarira, J. | J.Tarusarira@rug.nl | | | | Wilde, C.E. | C.E.Wilde@rug.nl | | |
|
| Degree programme: |
Master Religion Conflict and Globalisation |
| Academic year: |
2017- 2018 |
| Date of delivery: |
18 May 2018 |
| Last modified: |
18 May 2018 07:33 |
| URI: |
https://ggw.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/387 |
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