Summary Of Ambiguities Of Domination By Lisa Wedeen

Introduction

Lisa Wedeen’s book “Ambiguities of Domination: Politics, Rhetoric and Symbols in Contemporary Syria” provides an explanation to how purportedly weak autocratic states maintain state power and regime stability within civic spaces. Wedeen attends to this question through a “political ethnography” of the Cult of Assad. She asserts that the political rhetoric surrounding al-Assad as a perfect and godly leader is unconvincing to Syrian citizens. The question then arises: why does the regime devote resources to maintaining this omnipresent propaganda if no one believes it, and perhaps more importantly, why are Syrians complicit in maintaining the cult by parroting the regimes rhetoric? Wedeen argues that this Syrian “civic discourse”

The Cult of Assad utilizes gendered familial metaphors and relations in order elicit obedience to the regime as well as a sense of national unity. Al-Assad is portrayed as the father of the national family and the Syrian citizens are depicted as his children. Familial symbolism situating al-Assad as a paternal figure is juxtaposed with symbols declaring the sacredness and immortality of the Assad family. The haloing of his mother in public depictions and the apotheosis of Basil following his death indicate the claim to divinity espoused by the cult. However the cult’s iconography is also ambiguous. Wedeen describes how symbols of Assad regularly contradict each other and disappear and reappear over time. The representations of Assad are at times contradictory; he is described as a pharmacist, a teacher, a successful warrior and at times a great

Wedeen’s “political ethnography” seems to homogenize Syrians. She does not make any distinctions between classes or religious and ethnic groups within Syria. She reduces this diversity into “the Syrian population.” This makes some of her arguments seem overly-generalized. While I would accept that the majority of Syrians do not buy in ideologically to the Cult’s rhetoric, I am not convinced that way in which these disparate groups and communities understood and rationalized the Cult would be the same. Giving consideration to how these different groups and communities collectively understood the Cult and how they publicly capitulated or subverted it, would have been a fascinating and valuable addition. Furthermore a discussion of how these groups interacted publicly with each other to bolster or criticize the cult may have provided a more specific understanding of the relation between the Syrian regime and its citizens. While I believe this is a missed opportunity it does not severely detract from the value of this book or the credibility of Wedeen’s