<p>Anthropological studies are most interesting and effective when they reach beyond broad generalization to convey sharp sociocultural insight and identify implicit regularity in seemingly haphazard behavior. Success is often inversely correlated with the scale of the population and/or space being analyzed. It is not surprising that an attempt to capture the essence of Damascus, one of the world's oldest cities, succeeds only in part. Indeed, it is not all of Damascus that is even the focus, but rather the old city; not really a description of present Old City Damascus life, nor even a construction of its past, but instead a meditation on indigenous discourse about Old Damascus. Salamandra (Lehman College) tries to enable an understanding of why Old Damascus has become a focus for contemporary elite nostalgia, a site for social encounter, and even political expression. She further examines the role of new wealth and its display, a fostering of Damascene authenticity (with attendant class, regional, and religious/ethnic friction), and Damascus's extensive portrayal and manipulation by Syrian media, often for political reasons. At its best, the book conveys the complexity of contemporary imagining of Old Damascus, but the city itself, the people and places, never really come alive. Summing Up: Recommended. Most levels/libraries.</p>

- L. D. Loeb, Choice

<p>. . . A New Old Damascus is an ambitious attempt to shed light on the complexities of elite Damascenes . . . [I]t remains a noteworthy contribution to the emerging study of globalization, elites, and urbanism in the Middle East.</p>

American Anthropologist

<p>. . . Recommended.</p>

Choice