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E-mailExpert Interview Series: Dr. Stephen Worchel
Interview Conducted by V. Valosik
Interview Conducted by V. Valosik
Dr. Stephen Worchel is a psychologist and known expert in the field of ethnic identity and conflict. By looking at these issues from a psychological perspective, Dr. Worchel sheds light on the issues surrounding ethnic identity in Syria in a recent email interview with Tharwa Foundation. He is a professor and the Chair of the Department of Psychology at the University of Hawaii, Hilo. His research interests include human conflict, social identity, minority group relationships and influence. Dr. Worchel has written and/or coauthored several books on ethnic identity and conflict, including The Psychology of Ethnic and Cultural Conflict: Psychological Dimensions to War and Peace, and Written in Blood: Ethnic Identity and the Struggle for Human Harmony. Background:
In his book, Written in Blood, Worchel writes that people have a great deal of fluidity regarding their identities and that they are sometimes easy to change. However, there are some parts of who we are and where we’ve come from that are more enduring and difficult to shake off. These often become the bedrock of people’s self-identity and include nationality, religion, and ethnicity. The first two are far from perfect ways to formulate self-identity because of their transiency, as we will see below, which is why Worchel focuses on the more enduring aspects of ethnic identity.
Nationality is imperfect because not only do national boundaries change, but also the concept of nationhood is still relatively new. In order to remember the “importance” of their nationhood, humans must create reminders for themselves of their shared national identity because it is not innate…not something “in their blood.” Politicians and citizens use flags, national anthems, pledges of allegiance, and the media, as constant reminders of the constructed borders they share.
Religion is also an imperfect because it is changeable, in theory at least. Even though part of its design is to give meaning and order to life, religion has nothing inherent about it to constantly remind people of their religious identity. Like nationality, we may be born into it, but only sociologically rather than biologically. In order to maintain an identity based on religion, humans must again invent symbols to serve as a constant reminder to themselves of their identity. Worchel even argues that the idea of an all-knowing god serves as a reminder to be true to that identity, as believers view God as a force that can see into people’s hearts. This omniscience serves to make sure that they are always faithful to the religion. In addition, rituals serve as a reminder of one’s religious identity as well. This begs the often intensely debated question of whether a religious group is defined by its beliefs or its rituals. Conversions also show the transience of religious faithfulness. Humans must give religions meaning in a changing world rather than the other way around.
Ethnicity on the other hand is something that we cannot change. Worchel writes, “It touches so many aspects of human existence, including biology, religion, culture, communication, and personal history. It is unique because we become permanent members of this group and need never fear excommunication. It is unique because membership is not a matter of personal or group choice.” (p19). Likewise, one does not need to construct reminders of one’s ethnic identity, as is the case with religion and nationality. One simply needs to look in the mirror or at close family members to remember one’s ethnic background. Ethnicity is also rooted in language and culture, which can change, especially now with globalization, but Worchel argues that many aspects of ethnicity are “in the blood” and is therefore far more enduring than the other traditional foundations for identity.
Ethnicity is just one of many ways to examine the broader issue of identity in Syria, but it is an important one. Syria is a complex microcosm of many of the same types of ethnic and communal identity issues plaguing much of the Middle East. In Syria the large majority of the population is Arab (90%) and Sunni Muslim (74%), but the totalitarian ruling regime is dominated by Alawites, a minority Shi’a sect. At the same time, there are at least 400,000 Palestinian refugees in Syria (and probably many more according to Arab Media Watch), the youngest of whom have never seen their homeland. The number of Iraqis that have fled to Syria since the start of the Iraq war, has reached phenomenal proportions (approximately 1.5 million according to Brookings Institution) and is causing demographic shifts and putting strain on a government already struggling to continue its long-held promise of affordable food through government subsidies of the staples such as flour, cooking oil, rice, and sugar. Some ethnic groups such as the Assyrians enjoy cultural rights that are denied to other minorities such as the Kurds. There are approximately 300,000 denaturalized Kurds living in Syria who have no identity cards, no right to work or own property, let alone teach their native language in schools. Kurdish language websites and sites that promote the rights of Kurds are blocked, and Kurdish activists are regularly jailed. Just this past March Syrian security officers opened fire on unarmed Kurdish youth in the center of the northern city of Qamishly who had gathered to celebrate Nowruz, a national Kurdish holiday commemorating the advent of Spring.
