The Syrian Civil War, sectarianism and political change at the Turkish-Syrian border

Abstract

The Syrian Civil War has displaced millions of Syrian citizens since March 2011 and has drastically changed the lives of those in the Turkish–Syrian borderlands. Antakya (Hatay), which was annexed by the Republic of Turkey from Syria under the French Mandate in 1939, is a border province that hosts tens of thousands of Syrian refugees today. Although the province has long been renowned for its ethnic and religious diversity, the influx of Syrian refugees and Turkey's Syria policy have created new ethno-religious conflicts and have shifted the dynamics of everyday life in Antakya. Drawing on micro-historical approaches towards boundary-making and state formation, this ethnographic study focuses first on how the Syrian Civil War has transformed urban everyday life in this border city and has redefined ethno-religious boundaries and locals’ relationships to the state since 2011. Second, this article investigates the ways in which ‘sectarianism’ is implicated in the Turkish regime's approach to the Syrian Civil War and how sectarian discourses have shifted the political landscape in Antakya. This project suggests that in international conflicts between neighbouring states, the spatial, political and social divisions in border cities will increase as ethnic and religious identities become more politicised.