A New Old Damascus: Authenticity and Distinction in Urban Syria

In contemporary urban Syria, debates about the representation, preservation, and restoration of the Old City of Damascus have become part of status competition and identity construction among the city’s elite. In this lively ethnographic study, Salamandra argues that in deploying and debating these concerns, Syrians dispute the past and criticize the present."[Written] with a nuanced appreciation of the cultural forms in question and how Damascenes themselves think, talk about, and create them.” —Andrew Shryock