This chapter shifts the focus from the previous chapter on the work of traders at Dordoi bazaar to that of the main owner. The chapter discusses how, in light of some in society who viewed bazaar owners as oligarchs, he actively sought to reframe his role as a bazaar founder, job provider, and guarantor of honorable work in an otherwise corrupt society. He described his own approach as “business diplomacy,” and collaborated with the trade union, got elected to political office, and decided when to engage in protest (and when not to). Instead of perspectives that view him as a predatory, stationary bandit, the chapter argues instead that we must take seriously how he sought to survive and adapt in an inauspicious political context by building relationships within the state and among different businesses, societal groups, and constituents to increase possibilities for action in challenging situations.
