Abu Khalil al-Qabbani in Ottoman Syria: Theatre, Power, and the Politics of Cultural Reform in the Nineteenth Century

This study examines the theatrical experience of Abu Khalil al-Qabbani (1833–1903) in nineteenth‑century Syria and analyzes its relationship with the ruling Ottoman authority. Al-Qabbani sought to develop an indigenous Arab theatrical form by drawing on folk tales, historical figures, and performance techniques closely aligned with popular taste and local cultural memory. However, these innovations provoked strong opposition from conservative religious and social forces, who incited the Ottoman administration against him, ultimately leading to censorship, the closure of his theatre, and the burning of his stage. Using a historical-analytical approach to Qabbani’s surviving plays, archival accounts, and contemporary press reports, the study explores the intellectual and aesthetic content of his work and the political, religious, and social attitudes it generated. The findings show that al-Qabbani’s theatre functioned as a site of cultural reform and early public pedagogy, challenging dominant moral and political discourses and testing the limits of artistic freedom under Ottoman rule. The study has two main implications. First, for applied humanities and theatre practice, it highlights how drama can operate as a form of soft resistance and cultural negotiation in contexts of imperial control and religious conservatism. Second, for educational studies, it offers a historical model for integrating theatre into curriculum and cultural policy as a tool for critical citizenship, aesthetic education, and heritage-based arts education in the Arab world today.