Syria: Borders, Boundaries, and the State

This book explores the history of Syria's borders and boundaries, from their creation (1920) until the civil war (2011) and their contestation by the Islamic State or the Kurdish movement. The volume's main objective is to reconsider the artificial character of the Syrian territory and to reveal the processes by which its borders were shaped and eventually internalized by the country's main actors. Based on extensive archival research, the book first documents the creation and stabilization of Syrian borders before and during the mandates period (nineteenth century to 1946), studying Ottoman and French territorialization strategies but also emphasizing the key role of the borderlands in this process. In turn, it investigates the perceptual boundaries resulting from the conflict, and how they materialized in space. Lastly, it explores the geographical and political imaginaries of non-state actors (PYD, ISIS) that emerged from the war.

Explores the history of Syria's borders and boundaries Documents the geographical and political imaginaries of non-state actors Investigates the perceptual boundaries resulting from the conflict, and how they materialized in space

Autorentext

Matthieu Cimino is a Fellow at the Paris Institute for Advanced Studies (IAS) and a Teacher at Sciences Po and La Sorbonne, France. Formerly, he was a Marie-Sk odowska Curie researcher at the University of Oxford (Oriental Studies, St Antony's College, 2016-2018), UK, and an associate researcher at the Moshe Dayan Center, Israel.

Klappentext

This book explores the history of Syriäs borders and boundaries, from their creation (1920) until the civil war (2011) and their contestation by the Islamic State or the Kurdish movement. The volume s main objective is to reconsider the artificial character of the Syrian territory and to reveal the processes by which its borders were shaped and eventually internalized by the country s main actors. Based on extensive archival research, the book first documents the creation and stabilization of Syrian borders before and during the mandates period (nineteenth century to 1946), studying Ottoman and French territorialization strategies but also emphasizing the key role of the borderlands in this process. In turn, it investigates the perceptual boundaries resulting from the conflict, and how they materialized in space. Lastly, it explores the geographical and political imaginaries of non-state actors (PYD, ISIS) that emerged from the war.

Zusammenfassung
"This book is not only for specialist readers with a specific academic interest; it may also give general readers interested in Syria a valuable overview of some of the complexities of Syrian border issues. ... It is perhaps the first book to provide a truly knowledgeable overview of the subject, both historically and at the present time. ... this book provides a much-needed overview of Syrian border issues, and is recommended reading for anyone interested in the topic." (Nerouz Satik, European Review of International Studies ERIS, Vol. 8 (2), 2021)

Inhalt
Chapter 1. Introduction.- Part 1: From the Mandate to Assad's Dynasty: Constructing, Contesting, and Legitimizing Syrian Borders (1920-2011).- Chapter 2. Drawing a line in the sand? Another (hi)story of borders.- Chapter 3. The Turkish-Syrian border and politics of difference in Turkey and Syria (1921-1939).- Chapter 4. Syria's internal boundaries during the French Mandate: Control and Contestation.- Chpter 5. « The Country should unite first »: Pan-Arabism, State and Territory in Syria under the Baath rules.- Part 2: Struggling for the Borderlands: the Syrian Revolution (2011) and its Aftermath.- Chapter 6. Hizbullah's borderlands strategy: from identity shaping to the nation-State re-ordering.- Chapter 7. Spatialization of Ethno-Religious and Political Boundaries at the Turkish-Syrian Border.- Chapter 8. Dayr al-Zur From Revolution to Isis: Local Networks, Hybrid Identities, And Outside Authorities.- Part 3: Imagining and Manufacturing the Borders: Non-State Actors and their Representations of Syrian Territory (2011-2017).- Chapter 9. The Opposition's Three Territories.- Chapter 10. Sunni Islamists: From Syria to the Umma, and back.- Chapter 11. The Complex and Dynamic Relationship of Syria's Kurds with Syrian Borders: Continuities and Changes.- Chapter 12. The Map and Territory in Political Islam. Spatial Ideology and the Teaching of Geography by the Islamic State.