Sect and House in Syria: History, Architecture, andBaytAmongst the Druze in Jaramana

Abstract

This paper explores the connections between the architecture and materiality of houses and the social idiom of bayt (house, family). The ethnographic exploration is located in the Druze village of Jaramana, on the outskirts of the Syrian capital Damascus. It traces the histories, genealogies, and politics of two families, bayt Abud-Haddad and bayt Ouward, through their houses. By exploring the two families and the architecture of their houses, this paper provides a detailed ethnographic account of historical change in modern Syria, internal diversity and stratification within the intimate social fabric of the Druze neighbourhood at a time of war, and contributes a relational approach to the anthropological understanding of houses.

Economic adversities and cultural coping strategies: Impacts on identity boundaries among Druzes in Lebanon

“…A handful of contemporary anthropological works on the Druzes in Syria further highlight the heterogeneity of the larger Druze community (Kastrinou , ). Although there are commonalities among how Druzes interpret cultural values to mitigate economic pressures, there is no singular approach.…”

“…Although there are commonalities among how Druzes interpret cultural values to mitigate economic pressures, there is no singular approach. As one anthropologist pointed out, even a single tightly knit Druze community represents an assortment of varied economic interests at both local and national levels (Kastrinou , 331). For example, nationalism for Druzes and other religious groups in Syria is made up of inconsistencies that emphasize group difference while relying on appropriation of traditional cultural values to establish a nationwide identity (Kastrinou , 115).…”

“…The largest concern was the violent conflict in that country, although the southern Druze‐occupied regions have largely been spared much of the current ferocity, with the exception of a smaller Druze community in the Idlib Provence that has been forced to convert to the Islam espoused by Jabhat al‐Nusra Front (Syria:direct ). For more on Druzes in Syria, see Kastrinou (, ).…”

Crafting displacement: Reconfigurations of heritage among Syrian artisans in Amman

“…In her analysis of court records prior to the First World War, Hudson (2008: 41) shows that ‘neighbourhood affiliation had been a central element of personal and even political identity of men in Damascus’. As a result, the nuances of place and physical locations in Damascus also denoted social and economic status (Halabi, 2017: 442; Hudson, 2008: 41; Kastrinou, 2014: 316–317). This came to the fore during the 2011 uprisings, where splits between the centre and peripheries of Damascus were evident as lower-class suburbs became hotbeds of revolt, while central neighbourhoods remained loyal to the regime (Hinnebusch, 2012; Pierret, 2013).…”

Decision-Making, Violence, Resistance, and Love: Contested and Complicating Narratives of Syrian Marriages

“…Nasser El-Dine's (2018) research in Amman emphasizes that marriage involves entanglements of both love and money; meeting the material requirements for marriage does not negate love. Kastrinou (2016) discusses the presence of both intimacy and violence within marriages among the Druze of Syria, outlining how class and sectarian politics infuse marital relations. Kimberly Hart (2007, p. 354), based on research in Turkey, suggests that the division between love marriage and arranged marriages is “increasingly blurry.” Others argue marriage is not always the sole focus of women or men, for example, Johnson (2010, pp.…”