- Paperback: 251 pages
- Publisher: University Of Chicago Press; 1 edition (Jun 15 1999)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0226877884
- ISBN-13: 978-0226877884
- Product Dimensions: 21.3 x 14 x 1.5 cm
- Shipping Weight: 318 g
- Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
-
Amazon Bestsellers Rank:
#333,709 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #11 in Books > Nonfiction > Social Sciences > Political Science > Rhetoric
- See Complete Table of Contents
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||
Product Details |
Product Description
Product Description
In Syria, the image of President Hafiz al-Asad is everywhere. In newspapers, on television, and during orchestrated spectacles Asad is praised as the "father," the "gallant knight," even the country's "premier pharmacist." Yet most Syrians, including those who create the official rhetoric, do not believe its claims. Why would a regime spend scarce resources on a cult whose content is patently spurious?
Wedeen concludes that Asad's cult acts as a disciplinary device, generating a politics of public dissimulation in which citizens act as if they revered their leader. By inundating daily life with tired symbolism, the regime exercises a subtle, yet effective form of power. The cult works to enforce obedience, induce complicity, isolate Syrians from one another, and set guidelines for public speech and behavior. Wedeen's ethnographic research demonstrates how Syrians recognize the disciplinary aspects of the cult and seek to undermine them. Provocative and original, Ambiguities of Domination is a significant contribution to comparative politics, political theory, and cultural studies.
Wedeen concludes that Asad's cult acts as a disciplinary device, generating a politics of public dissimulation in which citizens act as if they revered their leader. By inundating daily life with tired symbolism, the regime exercises a subtle, yet effective form of power. The cult works to enforce obedience, induce complicity, isolate Syrians from one another, and set guidelines for public speech and behavior. Wedeen's ethnographic research demonstrates how Syrians recognize the disciplinary aspects of the cult and seek to undermine them. Provocative and original, Ambiguities of Domination is a significant contribution to comparative politics, political theory, and cultural studies.
About the Author
Lisa Wedeen is professor in and chair of the Department of Political Science at the University of Chicago and the author of Peripheral Visions: Publics, Power, and Performance in Yemen.
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
First Sentence
In official Syrian political discourse, President Hafiz al-Asad is regularly depicted as omnipresent and omniscient. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
In official Syrian political discourse, President Hafiz al-Asad is regularly depicted as omnipresent and omniscient. Read the first page
Explore More
Concordance
Browse Sample PagesConcordance
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
Tag this product(What's this?)Think of a tag as a keyword or label you consider is strongly related to this product.
Tags will help all customers organize and find favorite items. |
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most helpful customer reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
Analysis of Syria's pseudo-cult of personality,
This review is from: Ambiguities of Domination: Politics, Rhetoric, and Symbols in Contemporary Syria (Paperback)
When I first traveled to Syria in the late 90's, I found the eerie, creepy phenomenon of what Wedeen terms Syria's state cult to be the most inscrutable, absurd and mind-boggling feature of the entire land-scape. After Asad's death, the succession of his son, Bashar, saw the ubiquity of his father's visage decline noticeably but still it did by no means disappear. Wedeen's work does forcefully and with keen insight what I once thought was impossible. Though known to be patently absurd by all Syrians, inside and outside the elite, Wedeen argues cogently that this cult in its own way reinforces power for the state by demarcating the boundaries of political practice 'as if'...i.e., politics in Syria are to be practiced AS IF the cult expresses reality. Her analysis also broadens to include investigations of the vast amount of state resources squandered on the cult and the circumscribed efforts to resist and protest the gov't. Highly recommended reading for anyone studying the modern Middle East.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Brilliant,
By A Customer
This review is from: Ambiguities of Domination: Politics, Rhetoric, and Symbols in Contemporary Syria (Paperback)
One of the best studies I have ever read on the nature of power and domination. Wedeen asks the simple question of how Asad is able to keep power in Syria when all of the people know that all of the state propaganda is false. Her elegant answer gets right to the heart of what makes a ruler powerful. Asad rules not through totalitarianism, but through authoritarianism. What's the difference? A ruler who controls everything that the people think (like in North Korea) is not really dominating them, they just don't know any better. But a ruler like Asad rules because the people fear him and become unable to dissent as a result of Foucault-ian discursive practices.This book will facinate anyone interested in the modern Middle East or the nature of power.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Ground-breaking!,
By A Customer
This review is from: Ambiguities of Domination: Politics, Rhetoric, and Symbols in Contemporary Syria (Paperback)
A ground-breaking exploration of the subtle ways power operates to structure everyday life. Rich in ethnographic detail and eloquently written. Definitely worth _much_ more than $17. A worthy read, not just for people interested in contemporary Middle Eastern politics, but for those interested in issues of power, discipline and resistance. Ms. Wedeen is a rising star in the field of Political Science. Bravo!!
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
Want to see more reviews on this item?
|
|
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
- Books > Nonfiction > Education > Reference > Words & Language > Rhetoric
- Books > Nonfiction > Education > Reference > Words & Language > Semantics
- Books > Nonfiction > Politics
- Books > Nonfiction > Social Sciences > Anthropology > Cultural
- Books > Nonfiction > Social Sciences > Political Science > Rhetoric
- Books > Reference > Words & Language > Rhetoric
- Books > Reference > Words & Language > Semantics
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
