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Abstract
The official aspect of Syrian culture has been for long shaped and controlled by wizarat al-thaqafa, or the Ministry of Culture in a country whose government for long prided itself as culturally progressive. The history of this important government department reflects the political developments of the country, and the cultural activities and materials it produces deeply influence the intellectual development of Syrian society. I argue in this article that even though the Ministry is part of the Syrian government and regime, it attempts to be a more independent and democratic enterprise that produces a great deal of cultural resources and allows artistic and intellectual spaces for the Syrian public. Many Syrian voices of dissent were provoked by the performance of the Ministry which is often viewed as an extension of the leading Ba’ath Party and its outdated literature and ideologies. This Ministry has impacted cultural movements within Syria, regardless of being sponsored by the regime, which has attempted to control public and private media outlets and the educational system to pass its discourse to the public. This paper shows that the Ministry of Culture has successfully escaped serving as a mouthpiece for the party and how the ministry’s role in Syrian cultural development goes beyond offering legitimation to the regime in exchange for institutional support. It also aims to demonstrate how the way we view and understand cultural outputs in Syria enables us to comprehend the complexities of the country.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.
Notes
1. The research undertaken for this article had taken place before the eruption of Syrian uprisings in 2011. By mid 2013, the events have already illustrated to Syrians the dangers of opposing the regime of al-Asad, which tried, more in theory than practice, to initiate a series of reforms. The article’s treatment of the Ministry of Culture is still plausible, suggesting that the Ministry created a space for contestation and was not merely a site of controlled cultural production.
2. See his essay (March 1947) “Usus al-Thaqafa al- Mushtaraka” [The Principles of Shared Culture] in al-Marifa Magazine. p. 19–26. See also a citation of one of his essays (1998) “Al-Tarikhbayna al-Qawmiyyahwa-al-insaniyyah” in Stefan Leder, ed. (2002) Studies in Arabic and Islam: Proceedings of the 19th Congress (Sterling, VA: U. Peeters), p. 310.
3. A short bibliography is provided by the Syrian Arab Writers Union at http://www.awu-dam.org/dalil/17kaff/dlil015.htm.
4. A review of his lecture is on the Ministry of Culture’s website: http://www.moc.gov.sy/index.php?d=48&id=343
5. See the announcement of his position and a short bio on SANA: http://www.sana.sy/ara/2/2010/10/04/311178.htm.
6. Some of the Ministers of Culture who were assigned the office under Hafiz or Bashar al-Asad are still active members of the Ba’ath party. They continue to participate in the cultural realms as well as in the political sphere, especially Najah al-Attar who holds the position of Vice President. Both al-Attar and Agha continue to speak in cultural forums inside and outside Syria, in addition to the chance that they might continue to serve in future positions. Maha Qanout and Najwa Qssab Hassan came to the ministry from academic positions at Damascus University where they still teach.
7. Damascus was chosen the Arab Capital of Culture in 2008.
8. See more details in the Ministry of Culture’s website. 3 May 2005. http://www.moc.gov.sy/index.php?d=48&id=125.
9. Ibid.
10. See the constitution of the Union in its website at http://www.awu-dam.org/index-mrsom.htm.
11. See the website of the al-Asad Library website at: http://www.alassad-library.gov.sy/Dalil.pdf.
12. On the Book Fair and other recent exhibitions in Syria, see the full interview and coverage on Syriandays’ website: http://www.syriandays.com/?page=show_det&select_page=51&id=27007.
13. See an account of Attar’s visit to the fair in Syrian Arab News Agency, (SANA). 4 August 2010. http://www.sana.sy/ara/286/2010/08/04/301713.htm.
14. Hammond (Citation2005), p. 85.
15. These details are found in the Ministry of Culture’s website. 3 May 2005. http://www.moc.gov.sy/index.php?d=48&id=125.
16. Galal A. Amin. The Illusion of Progress in the Arab World: A Critique of Western Misconstructions. Trans. David William Wilmsen (Cairo: American University Press in Cairo, 2006), p. 48.
17. For more details, see “Organization History” in General Cinema Organization’s website. http://www.cinemasy.com/en/staticpage/details/Organization-History/4.
18. For more on cinema in Syria, see Jabbour (Citation1996).
19. See “Our True Treasure is the Man,” Cinema Life, 65 (2009), p. 3.