Book contents
- Surviving the War in Syria
- Surviving the War in Syria
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Tables
- Figures
- Acknowledgments
- Introduction
- 1 A Theory of Civilian Survival Strategies
- 2 Interviewing Syrian Refugees
- 3 Who Has Violent Experiences? The Reinforcing Misfortunes of Dangerous Locations and Dangerous Connections
- 4 How Psychological Transformations Change Conflict Understandings
- 5 How Wasta Provides Opportunity to Act Safely
- 6 Why and How People Share Information during Conflict
- 7 Choosing When to Migrate
- 8 Conclusion
- Appendix
- Bibliography
- Index
5 - How Wasta Provides Opportunity to Act Safely
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 17 September 2020
Book contents
- Surviving the War in Syria
- Surviving the War in Syria
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Tables
- Figures
- Acknowledgments
- Introduction
- 1 A Theory of Civilian Survival Strategies
- 2 Interviewing Syrian Refugees
- 3 Who Has Violent Experiences? The Reinforcing Misfortunes of Dangerous Locations and Dangerous Connections
- 4 How Psychological Transformations Change Conflict Understandings
- 5 How Wasta Provides Opportunity to Act Safely
- 6 Why and How People Share Information during Conflict
- 7 Choosing When to Migrate
- 8 Conclusion
- Appendix
- Bibliography
- Index
Summary
This chapter describes the concept of wasta as it is understood in Syria. It begins by showing that self-perceived wasta is a reliable indicator of whether people objectively have wasta. This is because both self-perceived and objective wasta exist due to a combination of money and connections. It then describes how wasta's meaning has changed over time. After that, it discusses similar concepts that exist in other context, such as guanxi in China. Finally, it discusses how changes in wasta reflect the wartime political order.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Surviving the War in SyriaSurvival Strategies in a Time of Conflict, pp. 113 - 129Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2020