Ali Hamdan

Background

About Ali Hamdan

I study political violence and the transnational dynamics of civil war in the Middle East. My research has evolved from a focus on religious-sectarian violence in the Levant (Lebanon and Syria, mostly) to a greater focus on the transnational politics of the Syrian Opposition and how these have been shaped by different contexts of exile. Specifically, I am comparing the structure of the Syrian Opposition as it has arisen in two different Syrian "exile-capitals"​: Amman (in Jordan) and Gaziantep (in Turkey). The variegated activities of Syria's diverse Opposition emerge not in the absence of state authority per se, but in response to unique political contexts shaped by state power, political economy, and narratives of belonging. These two cities can thus help refine our understanding of transnational political activity, the role of exile in insurgent/revolutionary movements, and importantly, how political agency emerges in the "anomalous spaces" of the Westphalian state system.