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Nationalism, Identity, Social Media and Dominant Discourses in Post-Uprising Syria

Zeno, Basil
http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1285-7522
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou1439414162

Abstract Details

2015, Master of Arts (MA), Ohio University, Political Science (Arts and Sciences).
This thesis examines the process of sectarinization that challenged the perception of the Syrian national identity within the context of the Syrian-Uprising-Cum-Civil-War. I provide necessary background for understanding the importance of the political and economic dynamics rather than the dominant ethnic/sectarian narrative in instigating the massive protests in Syria. The purpose of this review is to contextualize the Syrian conflict within its socio-political and socio-economic conditions that gave momentum for the emergence of collective identities and the reconfiguration of cultural and religious identities in a society characterized by a weak national identity. I review major theories about causes of war in the Balkans to examine episodes of extreme violence between ethnic, national, or religious groups and to analyze what factors facilitated the emergence of new collective identities that challenged the weak Syrian national identity in the context of war. The visibility of sectarian identities, as a form of collective identity, and the politicization of cultural affiliations were conditioned by the transformation of political and social spheres. I review, discuss, and explain democratization theories and theories of nation and nationalism to bridge the gap between multiple interrelated factors: social movement, state’s institutions, economic development, political entrepreneurs, political violence and processes of shaping collective identities. To understand what forces contributed to the transformation of power relations and the process of sectarian reconfiguration as well as the production of extreme violence in Syria following the "Arab Spring," I consider a hybrid approach. This hybrid approach combines critical constructivism, instrumentalism, and symbolic politics as a theoretical framework to analyze the role of social media and mainstream media in promoting sectarian groupness. Methodologically, this research is based on data and discourse analysis of specific statements, videos, slogans, and images disseminated and promoted by both mainstream media, such us Al-Jazeera, and social media, such as the Syrian Revolution Against Bashar al-Assad 2011 (SRABA2011) Facebook page. The data and discourse analysis was further supported by 15 in-depth, semi-structured interviews with Syrian activists and human rights workers, currently residing in Washington D.C, where the interviews were conducted in August 2014 and five follow-up interviews in May 2015.
Nukhet Sandal (Advisor)
Judith Grant (Committee Member)
Myra Waterbury (Committee Member)
180 p.
Political Science
Syria; uprising; sectarianism; nationalism; identity; social movements; social media; the Arab Spring; civil war; political elite; ethnic conflict

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Zeno, B. (2015). Nationalism, Identity, Social Media and Dominant Discourses in Post-Uprising Syria [Master's thesis, Ohio University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou1439414162

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Zeno, Basil . Nationalism, Identity, Social Media and Dominant Discourses in Post-Uprising Syria. 2015. Ohio University, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou1439414162.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Zeno, Basil . "Nationalism, Identity, Social Media and Dominant Discourses in Post-Uprising Syria." Master's thesis, Ohio University, 2015. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou1439414162

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

ohiou1439414162
821
© 2015, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by Ohio University and OhioLINK.