Explaining and mapping sectarianization in the Syrian Uprising: the dynamics of regime-opposition interaction at the domestic level

This chapter asks what explains why peaceful protest for reform in Syria turned into a sectarian civil war. While looking briefly at the structural roots of the uprising, the stress will be on agency—the narratives and actions of rival political actors--that explain sectarianization. The chapter proceeds with a macro-overview of the origins and trajectory of the uprising, identifying key turning points and watersheds. It then focuses on the rival narratives of the uprising, showing how these converged on a “master narrative” of sectarianism which shaped perceptions and behaviour. It then looks at the consequences of sectarianization for the identities of Syrians, asking whether their perceptions and narratives manifested a turn to sectarian polarization. It argues that while the pre-existing relation of sectarianism to the political order, and the exclusionary political economy strategies of the 2000s, created conditions conducive to discontent, it took the interaction of agency—the regime and its supporters—vs opposition activists and fighters and their backers--to sectarianize this discontent.