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Land as Protagonist: Resilience, Resistance, and Environmental Justice in the Syrian Conflict
Abstract
This paper attends to the differential vulnerabilities and inequalities which intensify the adverse impacts of climate injustice in the context of the Syrian conflict. Drawing on decolonial and Indigenous scholarship, I attend to the interplay between land, resistance, and environmental justice during the Syrian revolution. In doing so, this paper advocates for a decolonial conceptualization of the land and its active role in shaping political mobilization and fostering resilience among affected communities. Through an examination of pivotal events like the Battle of the Mills in eastern Ghouta, I elucidate how the land served as not merely a backdrop but a vital protagonist in the struggle against the Assad regime. I also underscore the deliberate acts of environmental degradation by the Assad regime and the toxic legacy of war pollution, as well as the significance of initiatives such as localized agricultural cooperatives and seed-saving projects to mitigate the environmental devastation wrought by the conflict and to preserve ties to the land in besieged areas. As a result, the land, far from being passive actor, became a source of sustenance, inspiration, and identity for Syrians amidst the turmoil of war and displacement. In sum, this paper recommends an environmental justice lens which attends to the interconnectedness of land dispossession, resistance, and ecological harm so as not to further entrench socio-political injustices and human rights violations.
Discipline
Anthropology
Geographic Area
Syria
Sub Area
None