Exposed Horrors: Violence’s Sociopolitical Impact in Post-Assad Syria

Abstract

This study examines how Syrians interpret violence from the civil war and how these interpretations shape collective memory and political attitudes in post-Assad Syria. Using qualitative interviews and media analysis, the study finds that collective memory of the conflict is fragmented across generational, geographic, and experiential lines. These differing interpretations of violence influence attitudes toward justice, reconciliation, and political legitimacy. The study argues that memory in post-conflict Syria is constructed through personal narratives, media documentation, and cultural archives, and that these competing memories play a significant role in shaping political legitimacy and national identity after the conflict.