Abstract
This article seeks to contribute to an under-researched area of the Syrian conflict, namely, ongoing political change inaugurated by bottom-up forces and mediated by both Assad regime responses and international diplomatic-military maneuverings. It suggests that civic and violent modes and practices of resistance against authoritarianism in Syria interpenetrate and even cross geographic borders. Drawing on original interview data with Syrian activists and politicians, including local council members and the Etilaf (National Coalition of Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces), this article highlights sites of ‘democratic learning’ [Sadiki 2015a] and ‘un-learning’ to interrogate how they overlap, complement, and relate to one another. The first part traces the historical pedigree of civic praxis in modern Syria. Next, the article frames ‘democratic learning’ in the Syrian war context, stressing the non-mutually exclusive civic and violent manifestations of opposition to Assad. It then tentatively showcases the existence and development of the civic values of mobilization/engagement and inclusiveness among activists, local council members, and opposition politicians. Efforts at trust-building and an ethos of voluntarism appear rooted in a common revolutionary cause. The article concludes with a critical reflection on the challenges of investigating ‘democratic learning’ by Syrians as a national institutionalization of the revolutionary ideals of hurriyyah (freedom), karamah (dignity) seem far-off.
