Beyond Sunni and Shia: The Roots of Sectarianism in a Changing Middle East explores intra-Islamic identity conflicts during a period of upheaval in the Middle East. This collection challenges the notion that distinctions between and within Sunni and Shia Islam are primordial and immutable, instead examining how political economy, geopolitics, domestic governance, social media, non- and sub-state groups, and clerical elites have influenced the transformation and diffusion of sectarian identities.

The book pays particular attention to how conflicts over the distribution of political and economic power have taken on a sectarian quality and how various actors instrumentalize sectarianism. Covering Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia and the Gulf, Iran, and Egypt, it includes contributions from disciplines such as political science, history, sociology, and Islamic studies.

By drawing on extensive fieldwork and primary sources, Beyond Sunni and Shia offers empirically rich insights that are both theoretically grounded and accessible for policy audiences and the informed public. The 352-page volume, edited by Frederic Wehrey and published by Oxford University Press in February 2018 with ISBN-13: 978-0190876050, provides a comprehensive analysis of sectarianism in the Middle East.