ABSTRACT
This chapter seeks to understand why it is important to study the Syrian tribes and what kind of knowledge gap this book will fill regarding the structure of the Syrian state and the civil war. It provides detailed information on the geographical distribution of the tribes as well as specific mapping of the most important tribes in Syria. Some debates over the structure and function of the tribes are explored and links between these debates and the Syrian case are established. The chapter also lays out the methodology and framework for analysis that will be used throughout the book.
