Abstract
In this essay, I provide a different perspective on the Syrian conflict by examining how the war’s reach can also be located amid the losses, interruptions, and experiences of those Syrians who have until now largely escaped its incredible violence. By looking closely at how the war has altered the life trajectories of and produced distinct modes of vulnerability for military-age men, I develop an argument about how, although they avoid fighting by going to work in Qatar, the lives of a group of Syrian men remain defined by conscription. Through my investigation of how these men are located in a landscape of conscription that extends beyond the borders of Syria, I build on anthropological knowledge of how masculinity is shaped by and through contexts of political destabilization. I demonstrate how, in fulfilling their end of the patriarchal bargain through political obedience and economic production, these men lose a particular stage of manhood and the aspirations, projects, and affective promises it holds.
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
5-2020
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
https://doi.org/10.14506/ca35.2.08
Repository Citation
Monroe, Kristin V., "Masculinity, Migration, and Forced Conscription in the Syrian War" (2020). Anthropology Faculty Publications. 25.
https://uknowledge.uky.edu/anthro_facpub/25
Notes/Citation Information
Published in Cultural Anthropology, v. 35, no. 2.
© American Anthropological Association 2019
Cultural Anthropology journal content published since 2014 is freely available to download, save, reproduce, and transmit for noncommercial, scholarly, and educational purposes. Reproduction and transmission of journal content for the above purposes should credit the author and original source. Use, reproduction, or distribution of journal content for commercial purposes requires additional permissions from the American Anthropological Association; please contact permissions@americananthro.org.