Description
Book SynopsisAn ethnographic exploration of consumption and social dynamics in a Middle Eastern city.
Trade ReviewAnthropological studies are most interesting and effective when they reach beyond broad generalization to convey sharp sociocultural insight and identify implicit regularity in seemingly haphazard behavior. Success is often inversely correlated with the scale of the population and/or space being analyzed. It is not surprising that an attempt to capture the essence of Damascus, one of the world's oldest cities, succeeds only in part. Indeed, it is not all of Damascus that is even the focus, but rather the old city; not really a description of present Old City Damascus life, nor even a construction of its past, but instead a meditation on indigenous discourse about Old Damascus. Salamandra (Lehman College) tries to enable an understanding of why Old Damascus has become a focus for contemporary elite nostalgia, a site for social encounter, and even political expression. She further examines the role of new wealth and its display, a fostering of Damascene authenticity (with attendant class, regional, and religious/ethnic friction), and Damascus's extensive portrayal and manipulation by Syrian media, often for political reasons. At its best, the book conveys the complexity of contemporary imagining of Old Damascus, but the city itself, the people and places, never really come alive. Summing Up: Recommended. Most levels/libraries.
-- L. D. Loeb * Choice *
. . . A New Old Damascus is an ambitious attempt to shed light on the complexities of elite Damascenes . . . [I]t remains a noteworthy contribution to the emerging study of globalization, elites, and urbanism in the Middle East.
* American Anthropologist *
. . . Recommended.
* Choice *
. . . Salamandra's book presents a compelling analysis that sheds light on the socio-spatial relations prevailing in Old Damascus and gives the reader a rare glimpse into the lives of upperclass Syrians. June 2007
* H-Levant *
. . . [this] book will be required reading for scholars generally interested in sectarian politics in the Middle East and scholars specifically interested in Lebanese Shi'i history and politics because the rich account it offers is also helpful for positioning Shi'i activism in Lebanon since the 1960s.Vol. 39 2007
-- Lara Deeb * University of California, Irvine *
Table of ContentsAcknowledgments
Note on Transliteration
Introduction: A Return to the Old
1. "His Family Had a House in Malki, So We Thought He Was All Right": Socio-Spatial Distinction
2. "That Color Looks Great on You": Consumption, Display, and Gender
3. Old Damascus Commodified
4. Ramadan Lived and Consumed
5. Conservation, Preservation, and Celebration
Conclusion: Weapons of the Not-So-Weak
Epilogue: Of Hubble Bubbles and Cell Phones
Notes
References
Index
