Identity and Communication in Syria

Identity is quite an ethereal subject.  Just when we think that we have a grip on who we are, something happens that makes us realize that we don’t have as good of a grasp on our own identity as we originally thought.  The authors of our textbook define identity as “The concept of who we are” (Martin & Nakayama, 2013, p.170).  This definition is deceptively simple.  The way we perceive ourselves and the way we are perceived by others can often be a complete far cry from each other.  These differences can often have sever repercussions.  The best example of this is what we are currently seeing unfold in Syria.

Syria is a country that is no bigger than the state of Washington, but it is currently going through a civil war that has been big enough to kill over one hundred thousand people and create over two million refugees.  Much of the origin of the conflict can be attributed to the Syrian President, Bashar al-Assad.  The Assad family comes from a minority Islam religious group, the Alawites.  Although the group only accounts for a little over ten percent of the population, it has established almost total control over the security services and government as a whole.  The Alawite group is afforded many luxuries that the majority of the population, the Sunnis are not.  In many areas of Syria the Alawites even have their own lane on the road.  Bashar al-Assad comes from a family of rulers who ruled with an iron fist, often killing thousands of civilians just to make a point.  In April of 2011, a clash began between the Alawites and the Sunnis.  What initially started as a peaceful demonstration about human rights soon turned into a violent conflict that still rages today.  Both groups have strong religious identities, and are strongly prejudiced against the other group.  While the Sunnis are upset about the human rights abuses of the Alawites, the Alawites are terrified of the fact that they are largely outnumbered by Sunnis.  Beyond the obvious differences in religious identities, there is also a huge difference in class identities.  The Alawites control most of the governmental functions of Syria, while the Sunnis make up much of the lower class and are often oppressed.

I would attribute much of the conflict to the difference between the identity that each group has established for itself and the opposing group.  The only way that this issue will be resolved is through careful communication between the groups.  Since the conflict has already escalated enough to be responsible for over 100,000 deaths, both sides have a very deep seated prejudice toward the other, meaning that communication between the two groups is getting more and more difficult as the situation gets more grave.  This conflict shows the importance of communication between cultures.  Instead of holding meetings between the Alawites and the Sunnis, President Bashar al Assad decided to simply attack the Sunni population, which has obviously proven to not be the best course of action he could have taken.  Other leaders should take the conflict in Syria as an example of how NOT to handle situations like this.  Communication is very important in establishing the identity of ourselves and the groups of people around us, and Syria has proven to be an example of what can happen if this is ignored.

References

Martin, J.N., & Nakayama, T.K. (2013). Intercultural communication in contexts (6th ed.) New York, NY: McGraw Hill.

Fisher, M. (13, August 29). 9 questions about Syria you were too embarrassed to ask. Retrieved fromhttp://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2013/08/29/9-questions-about-syria-you-were-too-embarrassed-to-ask/

Almond, K. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.cnn.com/2012/08/24/world/meast/syria-101/index.html


Below is my Cultural Identity Video