Your Mother-in-Law Loves You is a bilingual collection of more than 600 proverbs and expressions from Syria. It is a useful tool for students of Syrian-Arabic, Modern Arabic as well as those interested in the rich culture of the country. When visiting someone unexpectedly, hamatik ba-tohebik or "your mother-in-law loves you" becomes an invitation to join them in their meal. For about ten years, Rebecca Joubin, assistant professor of Arab studies at Davidson College, has travelled to and conducted research in Syria. Noticing the use of proverbs and expressions as a signature of Syrian culture...

Dramatic miniseries are the primary arena for the expression of postcolonial Syrian culture and artistic talent, an arena that unites diverse aspects of artisanship in a struggle over visions of the past, present, and future of the nation. As the tour de force of the television medium, blossoming amidst persisting authoritarianism, these miniseries serve as a crucial and complex artistic avenue through which political and social opposition manifests. Scholars have tried to come to terms with a highly critical culture produced within attempted state co-optation, and argue that politically...