ABSTRACT
This chapter addresses the interaction between several elements that account for this conflict. It provides a short historical background to the Sunni/Alawi identity clashes in modern Syria. The chapter examines the orchestration of Sunni and Alawi identity clashes, focusing on the roles of the Syrian regime, the Sunni political entrepreneurs and the external state and non-state actors. It analyses the roles of symbolic features in inciting identity clashes from below. Based on a qualitative research method, the chapter employs a discourse analysis technique. It is based on fieldwork carried out by the author in Syria during the first two years of the Uprising. It should be noted that the chapter does not aims to limit the Syrian conflict to identity clashes, nor to disregard the fact that many Syrian Sunnis and Alawis adhere to a secular civil identity.
