ABSTRACT
This chapter looks into the evolution of ethno-sect identities among the population of Syria during the process of state formation. It examines how sect identity became an integral part of modern Syrian politics, a consequence of the colonial governance and ethno-sect divides this helped to perpetuate. This chapter also considers the role of other factors, in addition to the colonial legacy, which have diluted or enhanced ethno-sect identities over the course of different historical periods, influencing the state formation process including the established system of governance. The phenomenon of ethno-sectarian forms of political association in communities since the divide-and-rule policies of the French colonizers, who came to the region with preconceived notions about the peoples and their identities, and would later leave an institutional legacy reproducing and/or adopting such an ethno-sectarian-based division in society and the existing ruling structures. The purpose of this chapter is to emphasize the role of the changing dynamics in ethno-sect relations inside governance structures, which came about because of the evolving local/regional rivalry over and within Syria. In this regard, national identity challenges erupted in the state's formation with various actors engaged amid changing regional dynamics. Ultimately, rival ideologies emerged defining what it meant to be Syrian, some of which were suppressed. Understanding these developments helps in answering the main book question on the relations between state formation and securitization actions, where at certain times securitization worked while at others it did not, while it is also helpful to comprehend the process that enabled such fluctuations in state policy effectiveness.
