Revolutionary Damascene Roses: Women and Media in the Syrian Conflict

Abstract

Brownlee focuses on Syrian women in the media since the beginning of the civil war in 2011. Women’s contributions there have often been sidelined or belittled. However, recently major steps in acknowledgement have been made thanks to empowering tools such as the new media and the internet. The internet is proving able to help in the renegotiation of gender relationships by virtue of its nature, offering a “speaker’s corner” to everyone. This chapter considers how new media presents an immense potentiality for women as a forum for the exchange of ideas, a way to gain a public platform for advancement and empowerment, a medium that overcomes barriers of distance and time for education, and as a tool to overcome sectarianism.