On Alawization in Syria

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.22456/2178-8839.113987

Keywords:

Syria, Alawization, Perception,

Abstract

This paper employs the term ‘Alawization’ to define the prominence of members of the Alawi community in positions of power across Syria, a process that has already been noticed by some scholars, but that has not been named until now. We intend to answer the following questions: is there a process that can be called Alawization happening in Syria? How could Alawization have become a political process in the country? How could this have evolved over time? And how is it perceived among practitioners of international relations? Essentially, the circumstances that could allow for this process to take place are embedded in Syria’s colonial period and its evolution is closely related to the rise of Hafiz al-Assad to power – launching an “Assad dynasty”, that continues ruling the country. Perception of this ongoing process was based, methodologically, on historical representations and was investigated through semi-structured interviews with diplomats based at the UN working with Middle Eastern issues and/or that have already been assigned to posts in Syria. It concludes by suggesting that, albeit there’s recognition of this process, there is still disagreement on how it occurs and how widespread it is internally.

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Author Biographies

Gabriela Santos da Silva, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul

Mestre e doutoranda em Estudos Estratégicos Internacionais pela Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS). Pós-Graduada em Estudos Diplomáticos pelo Centro de Estudos em Direito e Negócios (CEDIN). Bacharela em Relações Internacionais pela Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina (UFSC). E-mail: silva.gaabii@gmail.com

Silvia Regina Ferabolli, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul

Doutora em Política e Estudos Internacionais pela Escola de Estudos Orientais e Africanos da Universidade de Londres (SOAS). Entre os anos de 2008 e 2012, atuou como Teaching Fellow junto ao Departamento de Política e Estudos Internacionais dessa mesma universidade. Suas principais publicações incluem Arab Regionalism: a Post-Structural Perspective (Routledge Studies in Middle Eastern Politics 2014 hardcover; 2016 paperback), Relações Internacionais do Mundo Árabe (Juruá 1ªed. 2009; 2ªed. 2013) e Regions that matter: the Arab-South American inter-regional space (Third World Quarterly 2017). Atualmente, é Professora Adjunta no Departamento de Economia e Relações Internacionais da Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), onde coordena o Programa de Pós-Graduação em Estudos Estratégicos Internacionais e o Núcleo de Pesquisa sobre as Relações Internacionais do Mundo Árabe (NUPRIMA). Contato: silvia.ferabolli@ufrgs.br

 

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Published

2021-11-29

How to Cite

da Silva, G. S., & Ferabolli, S. R. (2021). On Alawization in Syria. Conjuntura Austral, 12(60), 163–176. https://doi.org/10.22456/2178-8839.113987

Issue

Vol. 12 No. 60 (2021)

Section

RESEARCH

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Received 2021-05-14
Accepted 2021-09-29
Published 2021-11-29