tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6358737.post3539161376619576212..comments2008-02-09T13:25:10.422-08:00Willhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04776960696689767044noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6358737.post-87689472565718482742008-02-09T13:25:00.000-08:002008-02-09T13:25:00.000-08:002008-02-09T13:25:00.000-08:00Just a thought that came to mind while reading this post(and yes I read the whole thing!) - having lived in the middle-east I came away with the conclusion that the people of 'bilad al shame' who lived under the french and british mandates have developed a similar psyche as the syrian psyche you describe - if you think about it you can apply the same 'unbelief' in the ability to rule themselves on the Lebanese, Iraqi's, Jordanians and Palestinians. This has a lot to do with the history of the region as well as its peoples culture. A culture which mostly enforces authoritarian styles of upbringing - While I agree the solution to this problem is freedom, I came away thinking it may take an authoritarian leader to get us there.<BR/>Just a thought...<BR/>From a lebanese syrianAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6358737.post-37299447001554070222008-02-04T09:03:00.000-08:002008-02-04T09:03:00.000-08:002008-02-04T09:03:00.000-08:00... Besides, it's just too narrow-minded to reduce the whole entity of being a Syrian to a submessive passive hopeless subject to a repressive regime. To state that this book is an attempt to define what meens to be a syrian is at best a long shot. Even the Syrians have never contemplated thier Syrianess. In the back of their mind they're aware of thier attatchements to the Arab identity, regardless of the late 20th century politics.<BR/><BR/>Rejecting such analysis has nothing to do with it's accuracy. It philosophizes and theorizes the problem in manner that sustains it existence.<BR/><BR/>We all know the antidote of this diseas: FREEDOM...free syriannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6358737.post-53720331539673745672008-02-03T09:08:00.000-08:002008-02-03T09:08:00.000-08:002008-02-03T09:08:00.000-08:00Yeah, and this is a political scientist who is making judgments on the collective Syrian psyche, because infusing Foucauldian analysis on power and discipline equips this with Western woman ideological amo to fire qualitative conclusions onto Syrian citizens and their behavior. How does her 3-year field work represent or speak to the sentiments of all syrian people? Or syrian people in the diaspora (like my father)? <BR/>And how does it help or contribute to discussion or action? I definitely think both parts of praxis are necessary, the thought and the practical application of thought. But Wedeen, strapped to her proverbial office desk arm-chair philosophizing, in her analysis of Syrian behaviorial complicit leaves the reader or the Syrian with no recourse, direction or solution to challenge the cult. To be fair, maybe this is not her project or the aim of her book. But, then I ask, what is meant by her book? What has she contributed to the discussion beside analysis Syrian people through the lens of Foucauldian generalizations on power and behavior that are interesting enough, more applicable to the case of complicity of the American citizen to the US government and notions of American patriotism.Maythahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00807786255484384743noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6358737.post-87083280449016628202008-02-03T04:06:00.000-08:002008-02-03T04:06:00.000-08:002008-02-03T04:06:00.000-08:00I find this post quite enlighting. When academics start writing books about your people's psyche, you'll know it's time to make a break through.<BR/><BR/>This analysis should not be used as an excuse to carry on this passiveness till god knows when. We don't need scientists telling us how messed up we are. We need revolutionarys to stirr up the masses towards liberty.free syriannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6358737.post-22227659427032877402008-02-02T23:41:00.000-08:002008-02-02T23:41:00.000-08:002008-02-02T23:41:00.000-08:00dj-jas, <BR/><BR/>I can't believe someone actually read through all of it! I was very skeptical that anyone would, but decided to post it because I felt compelled to put my two cents on the table.<BR/><BR/>In response to your comments, I feel like the political repression experienced by Syrians in their home country makes them more politically aware. Only when you lose freedom do you come to understand what freedom truly means. In the same vein, exclusion from the political process politicizes a peoples. <BR/><BR/>So basically, Syrians in the diaspora appear to be more political because they are unleashing their pent up political blue balls-especial now that they have an opportunity to engage in political intercourse. <BR/><BR/>I don't know if any of that made sense-it's 2:38 am and i am stressed about a paper deadline (so that's why I come out here and spout off 5 pages worth of writing that has no relevance to my paper topic!)-both lethal coherence viruses<BR/><BR/>Hope all is well<BR/><BR/>PeaceMaythahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00807786255484384743noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6358737.post-55286026912622402282008-02-02T20:48:00.000-08:002008-02-02T20:48:00.000-08:002008-02-02T20:48:00.000-08:00woah, this post is ballin! definitely brought up some nuanced views, though i'm not sure i'll want to read the book after this! my mid-east politics professor said last year, "syrians tend to be disliked wherever they go in the middle east, as they're known to be overly political." maybe all this rhetoric from the "illegitimate legitimate state" has infused the syrian people with a fierce politicism they don't quite know what to do with.dj-jashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01220657105456545050noreply@blogger.com