Political Aspects of Trust and Social Networks

Abstract

Contemporary Kurdish society in KRI seems to embrace elements of continuation of traditional Kurdish culture and more novel shifts occurred in the last three decades. The main argument of this chapter goes to state that social networks and trust reflect the outcome of interaction of modern and primordial influences: the formation of social networks in urban locales, specifically in workplace settings, transcend traditional blood or regional-based relationships to include network partners from diverse ethnic, tribal or family backgrounds. On the paradox side, trust remains to be largely shaped by traditional constraints: the diversity of social networks is not accompanied by a remarkable extension of the “radius of trust” to reach “generalized others”. The constructive effect of this form of social network and trust in enabling individuals to engage in democratic citizenships can be of a minimum level: as diversity of social networks results largely from the necessities imposed by workplace, not a voluntary disposition of individuals and when individuals stay unwilling to trust “generalized others”, the possibility of creation of politicized social networks in terms of discussion of political issues and criticism in social networks and engagement in collective actions will likely be harmed. Moreover, the legacy of the past, including the oppressive period of Ba’th rule and the years of civil war, is highly likely to have affected “generalized trust”.