Abstract: In the wake of the Assad regime’s collapse, Syria faces a pivotal yet precarious moment. This talk revisits the concept of "The Right to Meaning," to examine how Syrians—particularly intellectuals, civil society actors, and grassroots activists—are navigating a landscape reshaped by the revolutionary struggle. Despite the fall of the dictatorship, new threats loom: the potential resurgence of authoritarian practices under emerging power holders, the instrumentalisation of sectarian narratives, and the fragmentation of political authority. The author reflects on Syria’s cognitive and political transformation, analysing what is at stake as the nation attempts to reconstruct state institutions, re-establish national sovereignty, and uphold the democratic aspirations of 2011. It will address the dilemmas of transitional justice, security sector reform, and the tensions between demands for civic rights and the rise of competing ideological frameworks. By drawing on recent insights from Syrian intellectuals and activists, this discussion explores the urgent need to safeguard aspirations for democracy and freedom of expression amid fears of reproducing authoritarianism and sectarian violence. Ultimately, it asks how Syrians can collectively reclaim the political, existential, and symbolic meanings of their revolution in a precarious and contested transition.

Zeina Al Azmeh is a political sociologist at the University of Cambridge. She currently serves as Research and Teaching Associate in Political Sociology at the Department of Sociology. She is also a Fellow of Selwyn College. Her research centres on the cultural sociology of exile and the political sociology of knowledge production related to revolutions and counterrevolutions. Her expertise lies in cultural sociology and the sociologies of intellectuals, memorialisation, and migration, particularly within contexts of forced displacement. Her recent publications include 'Trauma work as hindrance to political praxis during democratisation movements' in Theory and Society, 'Authorial Power, Authoritarianism, and Exiled Intellectuals: Syria and Turkey' in the International Journal of Politics, Culture, and Society, and 'The Right to Meaning: A Syrian Case Study' in Cultural Sociology. Her forthcoming book titled Syrian Intellectuals in Exile: The Dilemmas of Revolution and the Cost of Leaving is in print with Cambridge University Press. She is a co-founder and trustee of the Syrian Academics and Researchers’ Network in the UK SARN-UK.

Intellectuals and the ‘Struggle for Meaning’ in Post-Assadist Syria