Reconstruction as Violence in Assad's Syria

Nasser Rabbat (Edited by) is the Aga Khan Professor and Director of the Aga Khan Program for Islamic Architecture at MIT. His interests include Islamic architecture, urban history, heritage studies, Arab history, contemporary Islamic art, and post-colonial criticism. He has published numerous articles and several books on topics ranging from Mamluk architecture to Antique Syria, nineteenth-century Cairo, Orientalism, and urbicide. His most recent books are ‘Imarat al-Mudun al-Mayyita (The Architecture of the Dead Cities, 2018), and an online book, The Destruction of Cultural Heritage: From Napoléon to ISIS, co-edited with Pamela Karimi (2016). His book on the great fifteenth century Egyptian historian al-Maqrizi came out in late 2022.Deen Sharp (Edited by) is a visiting fellow at the Department of Geography and Environment, London School of Economics and Political Science. He was formerly a fellow at the Aga Khan Program for Islamic Architecture at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He is the co-editor of Beyond the Square: Urbanism and the Arab Uprisings (Urban Research, 2016) and Open Gaza: Architectures of Hope (American University in Cairo Press, 2021). He has written for a number of publications, including, Jadaliyya, Portal 9, MERIP, Arab Studies Journal, and The Guardian. He has worked for several UN agencies, including UNDP and UN-Habitat, governments and international NGOs.

"A critical and thought-provoking examination. . . .Illuminating the complexities and power dynamics of post-conflict governance. it is an essential resource in both the Syrian context and beyond." —LSE Review of Books“Reconstruction As Violence in Assad’s Syria intervenes in this moment, arguing that reconstruction functioned less as recovery than as an extension of violence—in the form of urbicide, dispossession, and spatial engineering. . . . The strength of the book lies in its clear articulation of reconstruction as a continuation of wartime violence rather than a pathway out of it. . . . the book offers a powerful reminder that reconstruction is not a neutral technical exercise but a political project capable of extending and reframing violence.”—Review of Middle East Studies"By examining Syria's past and how reconstruction can be manipulated, the book offers unique insights into war and post-war revitalisation efforts, which will interest both Syria scholars and those studying other post-conflict countries."—The New Arab"Reconstruction as Violence in Assad’s Syria is more than just a book about Syria; it’s a warning against reconstruction as a tool of control and a call to rethink how cities are built after wars. In the post-Assad era, this book remains an important resource for understanding what happened and a reminder that reconstruction doesn’t necessarily mean the end of suffering."—Syrian Future Movement"This is an immensely important work and particularly timely as it emerges after the fall of the Assad regime. Whether Syria is restored or reconstructed, this no longer need be viewed as violence as long as Syrians, both in the country and abroad, are part of the process of recovering from the existential challenges that the country has most recently faced."—Dawn Chatty, University of Oxford"In post-Assad Syria, a country grappling with recovery, this book is more timely than ever. Reconstruction as Violence in Assad's Syria challenges conventional narratives that frame reconstruction as merely an act of development. It reveals the entanglement of destruction and construction, highlighting how violence shapes urban space, built heritage, memory, and citizenship. Through the book's chapters, we come to understand how architecture takes shape as an act of either sustaining or resisting oppressive structures in Syria’s evolving socio-political landscape—one shaped by both hope and anticipation."—Wesam Al Asali, IE School of Architecture and Design"This long-awaited work by a significant and unique group of Syrian and non-Syrian scholars, practitioners, and activists synthesizes their collective visions based on long-term experience and collaborations in different contexts. Arising from a pivotal moment in Syrian history after the collapse of the Assad regime, this work should inspire readers not only to reconsider the past through reconstruction as an act of violence but also the present through reconstruction as a form of transitional justice and the future through reconstruction as a pathway to peace."—Ahmad Sukkar, University of Sharjah and Damascus University“The essays in this volume demonstrate how the Assad regime engaged in urbicide not merely as an unintended consequence of military victory, but as a deliberate strategy to remake Syria's social fabric and render it more homogeneous and more pliant. Sharply written, theoretically sophisticated, and factually grounded, the chapters problematize the conventional distinction between wartime destruction and post-conflict reconstruction while never losing sight of ordinary Syrians whose homes—and lives—have been shattered by violence.”—Daniel Neep, Brandeis University

• List of IllustrationsContributorsForeword: The Tell of AleppoHashim SarkisIntroduction: Reconstruction as ViolenceNasser Rabbat and Deen Sharp1. What Reconstruction?: History, Politics, and Clashing Identities in SyriaNasser Rabbat2. War by Other Means: Reconstruction in SyriaWendy Pullan3. Rethinking Reconstruction through Informal SettlementsValérie Clerc4. War Waged in Space and Law: Advancing Urbicide with Regulatory "Weapons"Emma DiNapoli5. Constructing the Endo and Exo-Colonization of SyriaDeen Sharp6. Assad and the Mythology of a Homogenous SyriaSawsan Abou Zainedin7. A History of Cultural Heritage in Aleppo: A Contested TerrainHeghnar Watenpaugh8. Reconstruction in Old Aleppo: People and Politics after the WarRim Lababidi9. Survival Architecture in AleppoOmar Ferwati10. Domicide: Reconstruction and Re-Destruction of HomeAmmar Azzouz