Syria, Revolt and War in the Digital Age

An intimate portrayal of protest through images during the Syrian warNever before in history has a conflict been so extensively filmed by its own warring parties, generating a wealth of sound and image. Since the start of the Syrian revolt in 2011, several million videos have been posted online by demonstrators, activists, and militant fighters. Their prime objective has been to work around the media blackout imposed by the regime of Bashar al-Assad, as well as its calling into question the size and scope of activism and repression on the ground, by filming the demonstrations, the repression, and the funerals. Use of video quickly diversified to include protest action, testimonies, military defections, combat training, tributes to “martyrs,” and live combat.Syria, Revolt and War in the Digital Age explores this vast territory of images and sounds, offering a new approach to understanding the conflict in Syria and, more broadly, it analyzes the new use of images in contemporary conflict