Spatialization of Ethno-Religious and Political Boundaries at the Turkish-Syrian Border

Abstract

The Syrian civil war has become an important arena of regional struggle with its human tragedies and geopolitical implications for neighboring countries. The sectarian dimensions of the war added another complication to the current political framework and violence not only in Syria but also in the Turkish-Syrian borderlands, particularly in Antakya (Hatay). At the southernmost border with Syria, the city was annexed by Turkey in 1939 as a result of colonial treachery and contains the largest proportion of Arab citizens of Turkey. The Turkish state’s open support for opposition forces in Syria including jihadist groups, the influx of the Syrian refugees and a significant Sunni Turkish population in favor of the Turkish regime amplified sectarian tensions and the political opposition, after March 2011. Drawing on micro-historical approaches and ethnographic analysis of societal responses at the Turkish-Syrian border region to the interstate conflict of the Syrian civil war, this paper attempts to answer two questions: How has the political and cultural landscape shifted and what are the spatial consequences of it? What are the ways in which ethnic and religious identifications in the city have been re-negotiated with regard to sectarian polarizations and the Syrian civil war?