# How to Write Chaldean Character



## LadyQuicksilver (Apr 2, 2019)

Hello, denizens of the Internet - 

I’ve recently finished a novel in which my main character is Chaldean (Iranian Catholic), and since religion was a primary focus of the story, I wanted to make sure that I was representing the Chaldean faith as accurately as possible. Ideally I’d want to find Chaldean people to talk to about this, but since I don’t know any, I figured I’d take to the Internet with my questions. (These questions refer primarily to the Chaldean *religion*, but insights into the Chaldean *culture* would also be very useful.)

1. I feel like I’ve written my Chaldean character from a more generically (Roman) Catholic perspective, since that’s the type of Catholicism that I’ve been exposed to, not having any idea how different a Chaldean Catholic would view life, theology, etc. than Roman Catholic.  How is the Chaldean faith different, if at all? If that was the perspective I was coming from, would this character’s beliefs and outlook likely differ significantly than what I wrote?

2. The novel deals in large part with religious persecution (its premise is that, in an alternate present where Western European countries united as a buffer against communism at the behest of the United States during the Cold War and eventually became a totalitarian regime, all practice of religion has been outlawed). I have found in my research that this is very much a part of the Chaldean experience in the Middle East today, so this would not be a new issue for this character. That said, how do Chaldeans typically react to persecution? What are their views about it, and are they more likely to challenge it or try to stay under the radar? The protagonist to which these questions refer joins an interfaith group agitating nonviolently for religious freedom, and I want to know if that would be a typical response given her culture. 

3. Is there anything I should know when attempting to write this character that would help me to make her as accurate and as respectful of a representation of her culture as I can? Many people seem to know little about the Chaldean faith (myself included) so I want to give as informative and accurate a picture as I can through this character. 

I’m not sure if I’ll get any response to this, but I would be wildly appreciate if your help!


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## CyberWar (Apr 3, 2019)

Chaldean Christians follow the East Syrian Rite. Their liturgical language is East Syriac, which is basically a variant of Aramaic. Most of them live in Iraq.

"Chaldean" is another word for "Assyrian", the difference being defined largely by religion, since not all Assyrians are Chaldean Catholic. Most Assyrians are, however, Eastern Christians of one variety or another. In the Middle East, religion and culture are generally inseparable concepts, so cultural differences here are generally expressed as different religious and religion-related practices. Assyrians speak in several dialects of Eastern Aramaic, but most are also fluent in Arabic as the dominant language of the Middle East. An outsider would probably have difficulty telling the difference between an Assyrian and an Arab Christian.

As is typical for the region, Assyrian culture is strongly patriarchal. Even in families that live in the West, the male head of the family would still command considerable authority over his family members, his approval always being sought for issues like marriage. Marriages are customarily arranged by the parents of the prospective partners (though usually with their mutual consent), and even in westernized Assyrian families it would still be almost unthinkable to marry without the approval of one's father. The groom is traditionally expected to pay _niqda -_ a bride price - to the bride's family in order to demonstrate his financial independence and ability to support a family, this tradition being honoured even in diaspora communities in the West. Marriage celebrations would historically go on for a whole week, every day having different rituals to be observed, although presently it is usually limited to 2-3 days. In their homelands, intermarriage between Assyrians and members other communities is generally rare, since it involves religious conversion of the bride to the groom's religion, it being considered taboo by all resident communities. Diaspora communities especially in the West are much more permissive in that respect, but the approval of one's parents (and especially one's father) would still be sought for marriage.

 Like other cultures of the Middle East, Assyrians have a "shame culture", as opposed to Western "guilt culture" - negative behaviours are deterred by reinforcing the feeling of shame rather than guilt. In practice that translates to ostracism of those who have trespassed against the community values. To a Middle Easterner, being expelled from one's community and disowned by one's parents is a punishment arguably worse than death, since it involves being permanently cut off from the extended family resources and connections - which in a communal society like those of the Middle East can essentially mean a solitary life in poverty, no reputable person willing to have any business to do with an outcast with no family connections to offer.

This strong sense of community is shared by all the diverse peoples of the Middle East, Assyrians being no exception. A person who attains wealth and high status is expected by his community to use his means and connections to advance the standing of his own extended family and clan/tribe, such as by securing public offices for his kinsmen. Such nepotism, which is deemed a corruptive practice in the West, is considered common sense in the Middle East, which is why Western-style nation-states generally do not function well in that region. Assyrians rarely attain any public prominence in their ethnic homeland for this very reason, however - with Muslims being the dominant majority and communities divided along religious lines, they simply don't get much opportunity to advance in standing beyond their own community.

Since the Christian Assyrians are an oft-persecuted minority in their homelands, I don't think someone from that region would be much inclined towards public activism. Since historically Assyrians simply didn't have the numbers to openly stand up against persecution by Muslims, I'd imagine their typical response to persecution would be to lead very quiet lives, practicing their religion in private, doing their best not to stand out, and failing that, to relocate to more tolerant lands (as is attested by their sizable diaspora). A Western-born Assyrian character would likely be more open to activism than a native Assyrian, who'd likely also be averse to upsetting the already volatile relations between different religious communities there, an imperfect status-quo being preferable to any alternatives.

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Given the premise of your story, a militantly-atheist totalitarian Western Europe and a female Assyrian Christian political activist, I would suggest to explore her relations with her family concerning her activism as well. For example, her activities could bring her in conflict with her father (for whom she has immense respect) who'd much prefer their family to practice their religion in secret like their ancestors had done in times of persecution, scolding his daughter for deliberately inviting the attention of authorities upon them. Alternatively, she might be born and raised in staunch conformity with the state policies, being a militant atheist herself until discovering her family's religious heritage and, torn between her upbringing and family loyalty, gradually coming to embrace it.


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## LadyQuicksilver (Apr 19, 2019)

CyberWar said:


> Chaldean Christians follow the East Syrian Rite. Their liturgical language is East Syriac, which is basically a variant of Aramaic. Most of them live in Iraq.
> 
> "Chaldean" is another word for "Assyrian", the difference being defined largely by religion, since not all Assyrians are Chaldean Catholic. Most Assyrians are, however, Eastern Christians of one variety or another. In the Middle East, religion and culture are generally inseparable concepts, so cultural differences here are generally expressed as different religious and religion-related practices. Assyrians speak in several dialects of Eastern Aramaic, but most are also fluent in Arabic as the dominant language of the Middle East. An outsider would probably have difficulty telling the difference between an Assyrian and an Arab Christian.
> 
> ...



I’m sorry it took me so long to find this but wow, I’m floored. Thank you so much for taking the time to help me out - this is incredibly thorough and insightful.


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