Abstract:
Although the revolution in Syria is unfolding within the country’s
modern political borders, what is going on can only be understood
by placing it in a larger historical context, which includes the ad-
jacent geographical areas of Bilad al-Sham. Without such a
broader view, the complexity of Syria’s current reality can neither
be appreciated, nor can its consequences be accounted for and its
future anticipated.
Probably in no country is the mess of a land’s colonial legacy
more visible than it is in Syria. This legacy’s pathway marks the
country’s future development, and its implications are facing the
revolution today with arduous challenges. The resulting complex-
ity extends beyond the political dimension, for a similar level of
complexity exists at the meta-cultural level as well. Furthermore,
the change in Syria has regional consequences: It will institution-
alize the Arab revolution as an unavoidable political force and en-
ergize the process of cultural reformation and the recovery of a
civilizational Muslim identity.
This essay first examines the region’s historical background and
the consequences of the Ottoman order’s disintegration. Second,
it analyzes the national identity dilemmas faced by the Arab world
after colonialism, how non-Muslims reacted to them, and the two
political paths that those countries pursued. Third, the essay dis-
cusses the formation of grievances among Syrian minorities
Machine summary:
The Levant: Reconciling a Century of Contradictions Mazen Hashem Abstract Although the revolution in Syria is unfolding within the country’s modern political borders, what is going on can only be understood by placing it in a larger historical context, which includes the ad- jacent geographical areas of Bilad al-Sham.
Furthermore, the change in Syria has regional consequences: It will institution- alize the Arab revolution as an unavoidable political force and en- ergize the process of cultural reformation and the recovery of a civilizational Muslim identity.
Second, it analyzes the national identity dilemmas faced by the Arab world after colonialism, how non-Muslims reacted to them, and the two political paths that those countries pursued.
Third, the essay dis- cusses the formation of grievances among Syrian minorities inMazen Hashem is a sociologist whose research currently focuses on social change and Muslim communities and institutions in the United States and around the world.
Culture and the Collective Identity The Arab Spring and the Syrian revolution are more than just political up- heavals, adjustments to the restructuring of the global economy, or the mate- rialization of regional power realignments.
The idealism of Syrian Arabism reached its zenith in a rare event in the history of politics: In 1958, Syria’s highly re- spected president Shukri al-Quwatly resigned in order to form the United Arab Republic, a new state that combined Syria and Egypt, to be led by Egyptian president Gamal Abdel Nasser.