A shop of one's own: independence and reputation among traders in Aleppo

Traders, bazaaris and shop-keepers constitute a very important social and economic category in the Middle East. Based upon extensive fieldwork carried out by Annika Rabo among the traders of Aleppo, it sheds new light on how this politically sensitive social group views itself and others in the prevalent atmosphere of economic liberalization and political reform following the death of Syrian President Hafez al-Asad of Syria. The author assesses the traders' views on commerce, elections and the Syrian political succession and places them within the local market context in Aleppo, the context of the Syrian state and that of the traders' many international links.