ABSTRACT
This chapter seeks to explore the transnational nature of Syrian civil society, which has been forced to act and defend itself beyond the borders of Syria. In order to understand this phenomenon more concretely it uses information gathered from interviews conducted in Beirut and Istanbul with a number of civil society actors, including intellectuals, artists and film-makers. It begins this endeavour by providing a brief background to the phenomenon and then outlines this chapter’s conceptualisation of civil society, which developed symbiotically through theoretical and empirical research. It then moves on to explore the transnational networks of Syrian civil society and the fundamentals at the heart of their undertakings. Finally it reflects on the struggles faced by those in exile and the subsequent impact on their work.
