Within the Circle: Parents and Children in an Arab Village

When American anthropologist Andrea Rugh rented a room in a small Syrian village, hoping to find the time to finish a book she was writing, she never expected to be drawn so deeply into the lives of her neighbors. But she developed close friendships with two households - those of her landlady and her landlady's sister. For eight months Rugh observed and wrote about the lives of these two families and their ten children. The result is a uniquely intimate account of family life and child rearing in Middle Eastern society. Within the Circle is a detailed, vividly crafted portrait of families in a changing world, chronicling the day-to-day life among family members, between parents and children, and between families and the larger world of the village. The book results from the personal quest of the author to understand the cultural aspects of her own child-rearing practices. She contrasts her experiences as an American mother raising three independent, self-sufficient boys with the experiences of village parents striving to form a closely knit family unit. A fascinating glimpse of village life in the contemporary Middle East, offers a powerful basis for comparing the significant differences in family organization and dynamics between Middle Eastern and American cultures. It also offers a fresh perspective on the meaning - and costs - of family values, as they are defined in two very different cultures.