Syria's New Neoliberal Elite: English Usage, Linguistic Practices and Group Boundaries by Amanda Patricia Terc
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Syria‘s New Neoliberal Elite: English Usage, Linguistic Practices and Group Boundaries by Amanda Patricia Terc A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Anthropology) in The University of Michigan 2011 Doctoral Committee: Professor Bruce Mannheim, Chair Professor Judith T. Irvine Professor Alexander D. Knysh Professor Marcia C. Inhorn, Yale University © Amanda Patricia Terc 2011 Acknowledgements First and foremost, I owe so much of this dissertation to a committee that has been supportive, encouraging and intellectually helpful in every possible way. I thank my committee chair, Bruce Mannheim, for his enthusiasm for my project, for the generosity of his time and for endless conversations and exchanges that have pushed the dissertation into its current form. The devotion he shows to his field site and the people of Peru is an inspiration and represents the best of anthropology. Marcia Inhorn generously agreed to continue her invaluable mentorship even after moving to Yale. The sage advice she gives and the example of her singular career as an anthropologist of the Middle East will guide me throughout my career. Judy Irvine provided extensive commentary on many drafts and her incisive comments always pushed me to strengthen my work. This dissertation is infinitely better for it. Alexander Knysh graciously joined my committee in the final stages, and his feedback on language and regional issues is reflected throughout the dissertation. In the department of anthropology offices, Laurie Marx is a combination of den mother, administrative wizard and sounding board. Not only did she make sure I met all my requirements, she also doled out insider advice, unconditional sympathy and tough love when needed. I received crucial financial support from University of Michigan‘s Department of Anthropology, International Institute, Rackham School of Graduate Studies and the Center for Middle Eastern and North African Studies. ii My father Joseph Terc and grandmother Alyce Madden always supported me and sweetly worried over my safety in Syria. My brother Jed Terc embraced my research so enthusiastically that he spent a month exploring Syria with me. My future husband Burcin Kaplanoglu has consoled me, cajoled me and loved me through the hardest moments. Although my mother is no longer here, her lifetime of love and nurturing still gives me strength. I had a community of fellow graduate students who always provided emotional and intellectual support whenever I needed it. Without Shayna Silverstein, the difficulties of fieldwork in Syria would have been intolerable and the frustrations of dissertation writing unmanageable. Ellen Block has been my writing partner and emotional stalwart through two long winters of dissertation writing. Sarah Hillewaert‘s friendship, intellectual companionship and kindness have both improved my dissertation and preserved my sanity. Kate Allen, Kate Sheets, Kevin Schwartz and others formed a wonderful cohort of friends and colleagues. A special note of gratitude is due to the leadership and members of JCI-Damascus who tolerated my presence at every meeting, who invited me to every event and who enthusiastically shared their life histories with me. They truly want to improve their country and, for that, they always have my admiration. All the Syrians who agreed to be interviewed dedicated their time and their perspective to this dissertation. My talented Arabic tutor turned me into a fluent Syrain Arabic speaker and became my informal guide to all things language and culture. Finally, there are not enough expressions of thanks in the world to express what a certain Syrian family means to me. They often housed me, fed me and monitored me as if I was indeed their ―American daughter‖ as iii they called me. Their daughter was my kindred spirit, and her friendship and protection propelled me through the most difficult moments of fieldwork. But ultimately, it is their daughter‘s daughter, a bright and energetic toddler, whose childhood reminded me that what happens in Syria now will affect the rest of her life. May the Syria of her future look brighter than the Syria of today. iv Table of Contents Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................. ii Chapter 1: Introduction ....................................................................................................... 1 The ―New‖ Syria in Anthropological Perspective .......................................................... 7 Class and the New Neoliberal Elite .............................................................................. 18 Research Design and Methodology .............................................................................. 20 Writing in Arabic and English ...................................................................................... 29 Dissertation Overview .................................................................................................. 31 Chapter 2: Syrian Elites across History, Geography, Society and Language ................... 37 Historicizing Syrian Inequality ..................................................................................... 39 Geographies of Inequality – Spatial and Conceptual .................................................... 52 Locating Prestige in Syrian Arabic ............................................................................... 64 Chapter 3: ―We are g-mail addicted‖: Deixis, Shifters and Entrepreneurship ................. 74 Deictics, Shifters and Elites .......................................................................................... 75 Entrepreneurship and its Associations .......................................................................... 79 Shifters, English and Exclusion .................................................................................... 93 ―Developing Myself:‖ Self-improvement in the new Syria .......................................... 97 New Values and Old Politics ...................................................................................... 101 Shopping, Leisure & Social Boundaries ..................................................................... 106 Chapter 4: ―Depends on the Type of Person‖: Neoliberal Elite Style and Stance .......... 117 The Syrian Style .......................................................................................................... 118 The grammar of style .................................................................................................. 122 Non-Verbal Style ........................................................................................................ 127 Accents ........................................................................................................................ 129 Stance and power ........................................................................................................ 134 English Usage and Denial ........................................................................................... 141 ―Showing Off‖ and Authentic Linguistic Usage ........................................................ 149 Chapter 5: ―Class A Talks English‖: Linguistic Practices in Syria‘s Marketplaces ....... 155 Marketing, Buying & Selling in English .................................................................... 160 Schooling & Language Acquisition ............................................................................ 168 Hiring Practices ........................................................................................................... 178 Marriage and Divorce Markets ................................................................................... 186 Chapter 6: Teaching them to Fish: Volunteerism and New Syrian Social Stratification 196 v Volunteerism vs. Charity ............................................................................................ 198 JCI Children‘s Fair ...................................................................................................... 205 For All the Children of Gaza ...................................................................................... 216 Competition Culture.................................................................................................... 224 Chapter 7: ―We are never political‖: the Neoliberal Elite and the Syrian Regime ......... 241 New Elites and Old Policies ....................................................................................... 242 Ambivalence of the neoliberal elite ............................................................................ 247 Self-Censorship ........................................................................................................... 248 Asma al-Asad .............................................................................................................. 251 Mixed Signals: Closing the American School ............................................................ 256 Official Censorship ..................................................................................................... 262 Banning Facebook ...................................................................................................... 265 Concluding Thoughts ...................................................................................................... 271 Bibliography ..................................................................................................................