A Century of Revolutions / Un siècle de révolutions
Centenaire de la Grande révolte syrienne (1925-2025)
Centennial of the Great Syrian Revolt (1925-2025)
Maison méditerranéenne des sciences de l'homme (MMSH), Aix-en-Provence
Colloque international / International Symposium
8-10 décembre 2025
A century ago, in 1925, a small group of fighters sparked a movement of armed resistance south of Damascus, hoping to free the region from French colonial occupation. The rebellion ignited a broad movement of both armed revolt, and political activism. Ottoman Great war veterans organized the groups. French mandate forces met them with furious counterinsurgent violence. The revolt began in rural areas, but it found support among politicized Syrians of all classes and communities. Despite its initial successes, French aerial bombing and massive military reinforcements crushed the ‘thawra’ (revolution or revolt) by 1927. The revolt was the largest post-Ottoman Arab revolt, till Palestine in 1936, and provided a template and model that has remained potent until today. Its history has been written and rewritten in academic works and political memory. In 2011, as Syrians took to the streets to protest against al-Assad’s authoritarian rule, their actions and ideals found echoes within the Great Syrian Revolt of 1925 and its legacy. This legacy, as seen both in 2011 and in 2024, will be one of the themes of this symposium.
The symposium will explore the 1925-1927 Great Syrian Revolt and its various interpretations throughout a ‘Century of Revolutions’. The actors, initiating factors and dynamics of the movement will be discussed, as will be the relationships between the countryside, cities and the ‘bâdiyya’ (the Syrian desert). Both the thawra itself and its violent repression will be studied, and great attention will be granted to peripheries beyond typical Syrian borders. The new opportunities which could arise from the fall of the al-Assad regime in December 2024, in particular access to new archival documents and data, will be at the centre of our discussions. Finally, this centenary will enable us to analyse the Great Syrian Revolt as a cultural phenomenon, and not solely a political and military struggle.
To submit your proposals (in English, French or Arabic), please refer to the attached call for papers (https://iremam.mmsh.fr/sites/default/files/2025-04/1925-2025-Colloque-Symposium-%D9%86%D8%AF%D9%88%D8%A9.pdf) and send your proposals before June 15, 2025 to colloque.grs@gmail.com
Organisation : Leyla Dakhli, Vanessa Guéno, Nadine Méouchy, Luca Nelson-Gabin, Michael Provence, Mehdi Sakatni
CfP - A Century of Revolutions - Centennial of the Great Syrian Revolt (1925-2025)