
As a civil war shatters a country and consumes its people, historian Christian C. Sahner offers a poignant account of Syria, where the past profoundly shapes its dreadful present. Among the Ruins blends history, memoir and reportage, drawing on the author's extensive knowledge of Syria in ancient, medieval, and modern times, as well as his experiences living in the Levant on the eve of the war and in the midst of the "Arab Spring". These plotlines converge in a rich narrative of a country in constant flux - a place renewed by the very shifts that, in the near term, are proving so destructive. Sahner focuses on five themes of interest to anyone intrigued and dismayed by Syria's fragmentation since 2011: the role of Christianity in society; the arrival of Islam; the rise of sectarianism and competing minorities; the emergence of the Ba'ath Party; and the current pitiless civil war. Among the Ruins is a brisk and illuminating read, an accessible introduction to a country with an enormously rich past and a tragic present. For anyone seeking to understand Syria, this book should be their starting point.
How does the historical trajectory of Syria, from antiquity to the modern era, inform the structural fragmentation and civil conflict observed in the 21st century? Christian C. Sahner, a historian with deep academic and personal ties to the Levant, utilizes a multidisciplinary framework to analyze the Syrian state. By synthesizing historical scholarship with on-the-ground reportage and personal memoir, he argues that the current political collapse is not an isolated event but the culmination of long-standing religious, sectarian, and political tensions that have defined the region for centuries.
What You Will Find
Scope Limits
Experts and readers frequently note that the book serves as a highly accessible entry point for those seeking to understand the historical roots of the Syrian crisis. The prose is recognized for its balance between academic rigor and the immediacy of personal experience, making it a foundational text for non-specialists.
Page Count:
223
Publication Date:
2014-01-01
Publisher:
Oxford University Press
ISBN-10:
0190257377
ISBN-13:
9780190257378
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