Sectarianism, De-Sectarianization and Regional Politics in the Middle East: Protest and Proxies Across States and Borders

Following the Arab Uprisings, new ways of understanding sectarianism and sect-based differences emerged. But these perspectives, while useful, reduced sectarian identities to a consequence of either primordial tensions or instrumentalised identities. While more recently ’third way’ approaches addressed the problems with these two positions, the complexity of secatarian identities within and across states remains unexplored. This book fills the gap in the literature to offer a more nuanced reading of both sectarian identities and also de-sectarianization across the Middle East.

To do so, the volume provides a comparative account, looking at Iraq, Bahrain, Yemen, Syria and Lebanon. It examines the ways in which sect-based difference shapes regional politics and vice versa. The book also contributes to burgeoning debates on the role of protest movements in sectarianism. Chapters are split across three main sections: the first looks at sects and states; the second traces the relationship between sects and regional dynamics; and the third examines de-sectarianization, that is, the contestation and destablization of sectarian identities in socio-political life. Each section provides a more holistic understanding of the role of sectarian identities in the contemporary Middle East and shows how sectarian groups operate within and across state borders, and why this has serious implications for the ordering of life across the Middle East.

Samira Nasirzadeh is a PhD candidate in International Relations at Lancaster University, UK where she is currently working as a fellow at the Richardson Institute.

Ana Maria Kumarasamy is a PhD candidate at Lancaster University, where she is currently working as a coordinator at the Richardson Institute. She is also a PhD fellow at SEPAD, the sectarianism, proxies and de-sectarianisation project.

Elias Ghazal is a PhD candidate in International Relations at Lancaster University. He is currently working as a fellow at the Richardson Institute and he is a PhD fellow at SEPAD, the sectarianism, proxies and de-sectarianisation project.

Eyad Alrefai is a Ph.D. candidate in Politics and International Relations at Lancaster University where he ia a fellow at the Sectarianism, Proxies and De-sectarianisation (SEPAD) project.