The Syrian Revolution

Between the Politics of Life and the Geopolitics of Death

eBook | 20 January 2020 | Edition Number 1

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Understanding the Syrian revolution is unthinkable without an in-depth analysis from below. Paying attention to the complex activities of the grassroots resistance, this book demands we rethink the revolution.

Having lived in Syria for over fifteen years, Yasser Munif is expert in exploring the micropolitics of revolutionary forces. He uncovers how cities are managed, how precious food is distributed and how underground resistance thrives in regions controlled by regime forces. In contrast, the macropolitics of the elite Syrian regime are undemocratic, destructive and counter-revolutionary. Regional powers, Western elites, as well as international institutions choose this macropolitical lens to apprehend the Syrian conflict. By doing so, they also choose to ignore the revolutionaries' struggles.

By looking at the interplay between the two sides, case studies of Aleppo and Manbij and numerous firsthand interviews, Yasser Munif shows us that this macro and geopolitical authoritarianism only brings death, and that by looking at the smaller picture - the local, the grassroots, the revolutionaries - we can see the politics of life emerge.

Industry Reviews

'In the already crowded field of studies of post-2011 Syria, Yasser Munif's book stands out as a most original and stimulating contribution focused on what the author calls "the subterranean territories of the Syrian revolt", i.e. micropolitical processes and grassroots struggles examined through a magnifier primarily rooted in postcolonial thinking'