Revolt in Syria: Eye-Witness to the Uprising
Book by Stephen Starr, 2012
Shelved in the General Collection
Call number DS 98.6 .S73 2012
Stephen Starr’s Revolt in Syria is a first-hand narrative of the first 15 months of the Syrian uprising that began in the spring of 2011. As a freelance journalist that lived in Syria from 2007 through 2012, Starr explores the underlying currents of Syrian society, from the intricacies of religious divides to more subtle separations—between city and village, truth and fiction, state and society—that divide Syria’s people. Revolt in Syria brings readers into the midst of a gathering storm.
Starr’s personal experiences stemming from his establishment in Syrian society, combined with his efforts to interview Syrians from all walks of life—in the midst of the uprising, give his work a depth that few materials from that time were able to match. The text is organized thematically and semi-chronologically into eight main sections: impressions in Damascus; Syria’s minorities; the media; relations between state and society; socioeconomic factors; the youth; Starr’s own position in the revolt; and some musings on the difficult resolution of Syria’s many ills. Although some have lamented* the lack of historical background for this book, Revolt in Syria succeeds in providing a rare and intimate glimpse into the uprising’s first 15 months, and insight into the underlying structure of Syrian society.
*Biedzynski, James. Journal of Third World Studies 31, no. 1 (2014): 259-60. Accessed February 25, 2021. doi:10.2307/45198781.
Relevant Library of Congress Subject Headings
Subject headings are a helpful tool to use when searching library catalogs, since they use standardized forms to express certain concepts. Use any of the following terms to find library resources on related topics.
Arab countries -- Social conditions -- 21st century
Arab Spring, 2010-
Authoritarianism -- Syria
Civil-military relations -- Syria
Insurgency -- Syria
Journalism -- Political aspects -- Syria
Protest movements -- Syria
Syria -- History -- Civil War, 2011-
War -- Press coverage -- Arab countries
More Books like Revolt in Syria, at MEI's Oman Library
Ambiguities of Domination: Politics, Rhetoric, and Symbols in Contemporary Syria, by Lisa Wedeen
Publication date: 1999
Shelving location: General Collection
Call number: DS98.4 .W43 1999
The Arab Uprisings Explained: New Contentious Politics in the Middle East, ed. by Marc Lynch
Publication date: 2014
Shelving location: General Collection
Call number: JQ1850 A91A826 2014
Burning Country: Syrians in Revolution and War, by Robin Yassin-Kassab and Leila Al-Shami
Publication date: 2016
Shelving location: General Collection
Call number: DS98.6 .Y37 2016
Dispatches from the Arab Spring: Understanding the New Middle East, ed. by Paul Amar and Vijay Prashad
Publication date: 2013
Shelving location: General Collection
Call number: JQ1850 .A91D58 2013
Syria from Reform to Revolt. Volume 2: Culture, Society, and Religion, ed. by Christa Salamandra and Leif Stenberg
Publication date: 2015
Shelving location: General Collection
Call number: DS98.6 .S95 2015
Syria: Revolution from Above, by Raymond Hinnebusch
Publication date: 2002
Shelving location: General Collection
Call number: DS98.4 .H56 2001
For more reading suggestions about Syrian history and the 2011 uprising, as well as information on Syrian modern art, please refer to the subject guide, In This Moonless Black Night: Syrian Art after the Uprising.
This post was originally published on July 22, 2013, by Andrew Trexler. It was updated in February 2021 by Daniel Diaz, and is maintained by the Oman Library at MEI.