Aldoughli’s Romanticizing Masculinity in Baathist Syria offers a compelling, original, and timely analysis of national identity and authoritarian ideology, examining how idealized notions of manhood have defined both state and society. The book also links Syrian Baathism to European romantic nationalism and Arab cultural revivalism. Its interdisciplinary approach—blending political theory, cultural analysis, and gender critique—is one of its strengths.
Drawing on an extensive archive of political speeches, school textbooks, songs, visual propaganda, and cultural performances, Aldoughli, a scholar of Middle Eastern politics and gender studies at Lancaster University in the U.K., argues that Baathist ideology relies on a romanticized, heroic image of masculinity. It portrays the ideal Syrian man as both guardian and martyr. The survival of the nation depends on his strength, sacrifice, and emotional self-restraint. This idealized figure has had a central role in state-building, particularly in times of crisis. For example, during the 2011–2024 civil war, the regime presented itself through the valorization of military masculinity and national endurance.
Romanticizing Masculinity will appeal primarily to students and scholars of Middle Eastern studies, gender studies, political science, and cultural history. It also has value for those researching authoritarianism and state propaganda more broadly. It challenges readers to consider how political power is embodied and performed, not just enforced.
However, Romanticizing Masculinity may be too dense for readers unfamiliar with Syrian political history or gender theory. Its focus on masculinity, while illuminating, sometimes sidelines other dimensions such as class or sectarian identity that also shape Baathist discourse and state power.
Zainab Al-Suwaij is the co-founder and executive director of the American Islamic Congress
