Keffiyeh

This week, there was a discussion about the "abaya-as-fashion" movement in the Gulf and whether deviating from the norm of how the garment is worn could be considered a form of passive resistance to cultural mores. Our discussion got me thinking about another cultural item of clothing that experienced a similar development from national symbol to fashion trend:

The keffiyeh started out as a headdress worn by men in the Gulf region, Palestine, Syria and Jordan, before becoming a symbol of Palestinian nationalism in the 1960s with the start of the resistance movement within the country. It is an extremely vital aspect of material culture in an environment where two ideologies are constantly at battle with one another. 

In recent years, the message behind the scarf has been worn away through the process of globalization, a dissemination that has rendered the keffiyeh as a major trend in the West. Highbrow brands like Urban Outfitters have added it to (and removed it from) their collections. Although the craze has died down a bit, it is not uncommon now to see images like this:

In class, three questions were posed that were very relevant to this topic, the first being: is a single homogenous culture good? There probably wouldn’t be an Israeli-Palestinian conflict if the newer generations of youth all shared the same material and non-material culture. Would this turn the keffiyeh’s role in consumer culture into an act of union?

The second question was: does globalization increase ethnic and racial inequalities? In this case, the dissemination of the keffiyeh only serves to highlight the Palestinian struggle to retain their culture. It almost seems that because Palestine is no longer considered a geographical state, that their symbol of nationalism is no longer relevant as anything more than a capitalist fashion statement for hipsters.

The third question was: what happens when you try to resist globalization? In terms of identity, the Palestinian people are quite busy resisting many other things, but it seems that other people have been handling the keffiyeh situation for them. Some are casting the trend aside because of its exploitation of Palestinian culture, while others are calling it “hate-couture” and resisting it for its connotations of “terrorism” and “violence” – a rather ethnocentric interpretation of the scarf.

Much like the abaya in the “Immodest Modesty” reading, the keffiyeh has changed and continues to do so. But unlike the abaya, which started out as a traditional garment and became a form of passive resistance through fashion (or so it seems), the keffiyeh developed from a symbol of resistance into a fashionable way to be passive.

Globalization and Cultural Hegemony

Music is probably one of the most effective sociological and communication tools. Depending on the kind of music, it could appeal to individuals of almost every age group, gender and ethnicity. With the advent of the Internet and other means of telecommunication, music can also be appealing across boundaries. In short, music is now subject to globalization and this has been the case for the past several decades.


I love hip-hop music and closely follow artists like Eminem, The Game, Tupac etc, and thanks to the globalization of music, I am able to enjoy the same music that people from other nations listen to. Cultural globalization involves some sort of cultural exchange between different geographies that directly results in these countries enjoying foreign goods. These goods may not be solely materialistic goods, it could also be non-materialistic goods like music or lifestyles for instance. This process can take varying forms and produce a multitude of outcomes. According to some sociologists, this expanding transnational cultural exchange will in turn be profitable to certain countries, and in most cases, the United States seems to be yielding the most out of this cultural globalization. In fact, it would be right to say that the United States has established, knowingly or unknowingly, a cultural hegemony through its various music genres.

From fast-food culture to listening to hip-hop music, I believe that I am a part of America’s cultural hegemony. Although I listen to several American music artists, it is not necessary that an American should listen to Indian music (I am from India, FYI). Therefore, we see that cultural flow is only one-way, from dominant culture to peripheral culture, but not the other way round. By using tools like the internet and various applications, people around the world can tune in to listen to any music you want. I recently happened to learn about an application called Spotify, through which we can get access to almost all the music in the world even in your cellphone. I believe applications like these contribute a lot to the phenomenon of globalization.

So, is cultural globalization a positive phenomenon? Or is it just too overwhelming to know that you have been culturally imperialized? Something for the readers to think about.

Abayas In Qatar

The recent readings we had this time were so broad that it made it difficult to decide what to write about. However, words such hegemony, material culture and cultural relativism stood out to me when I started to apply those terms to real life situations here in Qatar. We are not passive when it comes to the media. We, humans, tend to critically analyze and interpret what we see, read and hear. In this case, abaya trends and fashion in Qatar emphasize this theory because most women here are using abayas as a way to resist and protest against the old traditional culture. At the same time, they’re conforming the culture by resisting western influence. In order to observe and have a better understanding, I decided to take a walk in Landmark Mall and observe abaya stores and women wearing abaya.

First of all, we should keep in mind that wearing an abaya is symbolic of the Qatari material culture. By material culture, I mean everything that is part of our construct within our physical environment, basically, anything that we can touch. While walking through an abaya store, I noticed how most women bought what was either advertised through the media outlets such as posters and magazines, or custom made abayas that had some touches of western fashion. This goes back to my point, women here are resisting the western influence, but simultaneously protesting against traditional and simple culture of wearing a black abaya. In other words, abayas have become a form of expression and cultural relativism.

Another factor I noticed was the ideology behind wearing an abaya. By ideology, I mean the system of concepts and relationships by accepting its causes and effects. In other words, wearing an abaya is embedded within the Qatari culture and society if you don’t wear it, you will be looked at as either foreign or just different. It seems to be part of the social norm to wear an abaya. From what I observed tonight, most young women in their teenage years were wearing fancy abayas, whereas older women were wearing more simple and elegant abayas.

Before walking out of Landmark Mall, I noticed a group of young women wearing fancy abayas with westernized designs that looked almost like dresses. In sociological terms, that could be a possible hegemony. Yes, women here are resisting western influence, but the West has already used its power to cause voluntary consent, as it seems the natural order of things. Some abaya wearers tend to wear the abaya just because of the societal norms and for the respect of the elderly. One of the girls i talked to said, "I only wear it cause of my father. I take off my abaya when i leave the country. I design most of my abayas from most fashion trends in Europe, i guess that is a way for me to express my taste in fashion." All in all, we should keep in mind that “Culture” is socially constructed.

"The ruling ideas are the ideas of the ruling class."

In recent news, Qatar has been reported to have one of the highest densities of millionaires in the world. I found this extremely interesting because apart from the fact that Qatar has won the Fifa World Cup 2022 bid, it sheds light on its economy. But I’m sure that these statistics are exclusive to only Qatari nationals.
Article on Qatar having one of the highest densities of millionaires in the world here


As part of an assignment I had to do for my journalism class, I asked a couple of people what they thought about this report. Many people seemed glad that Qatar was making the news. Some people seem to feel that in comparison to other nations people in Qatar have better incomes. Others felt that if the media want to place Qatar in the limelight, then other aspects could have been focused on, like tourism.

Although it may seem to the international audience that the residents of Qatar are very well to do and experience upward social mobility, it isn’t entirely true. The vast majority of the population is comprised of expatriates, mainly laborers and workers. International news never seems to touch upon the increasingly dreadful conditions that the workers live in, maintaining their rather low level of social mobility.


Indeed there are some cases of upward social mobility. An example would be the occasional raffles hosted by various grocery or department stores in which a member of the working class may have won a Land Cruiser through sheer luck. Lulu and Family Food Center usually arrange these raffles. Another example, which is not inclusive to expatriates, is inheritance. If a member of the royal family, who is currently attending university or high school, inherits a fortune from his parents, then he will experience upward social mobility.

There is also an issue of job security in Qatar. If, for example, an expat is laid off or dismissed from work, then they have to leave the country unless they can sign another contract within a certain period of time. So, many expats are concerned about losing their job and what their situation will be once they have to leave.


Despite Qatar being a tax-free nation, the affordability of goods to working class individuals is not very feasible. Laborers and domestic workers usually reside in shared accommodations – at least 10-12 per house. Recently there has been an influx of workers in Qatar, which means that there will be even less housing to accommodate them.
Article on the increase of workers in Qatar here


Many locals have also protested against laborers living in residential areas for the reason that they lack respect towards local values and traditions. This can be viewed as an example of hegemony, when the culture and ideology of a dominant group are transmitted and accepted in ways that make them seem natural. Except in this case, the dominant group is stating that the tradition is not being followed.
Article on laborers being moved out of residential areas here


The issue of laborers is growing in Qatar, and many other expats are aware of the situation. While interviewing people for my story, one person said that Qatar should focus more on the issue of social stratification rather than the wealth of the people.

Waste Not Want... More?

It is not surprising that I no longer have room in my closets, drawers, and other wardrobe space. I have the constant urge to shop, always desiring new, trendy “latest season’s” fashions. My room is cluttered with a superfluous collection of clothes, accessories, shoes, bags and other newly purchased items that still have their tags on. I am consistently buying new items of clothing, despite the complete and utter absence of necessity. As the photos suggest, I am indeed subject to a social order known as consumerism.



Looking at consumerism through a sociological lens, Grazian mentions that consumerism creates a cultural hegemony that is part of popular culture as a process of social control. Media and culture industries combined, foster these systematic false needs in consumers for them to want to buy new goods and in larger amounts.

While Grazian mentions the average adult in America buys 48 pieces of clothing items a year, the numbers may be even higher in this society.
Some people here go shopping every weekend, may be even everyday. Do we need to shop that often? And do we really need the items we purchase?
Why do ladies anticipate the latest fashions, trendiest looks, and ‘hot’ off the runway apparel? Who created this constant feeling of enthusiasm and rejuvenating excitement for these cultural products? Why do sales and promotions “easily represent what feels like a missed opportunity for fulfillment” and why does every purchase bring “with it a kind of relief however ephemeral”, (Grazian, p.61).



Grazian points out, it may have a lot to do with the culture industries that mass produce them, as well as the mass media in general that advertises these products.
An eye-opening project called “The Story of Stuff” offers an extensive critical study on the consumerist American society, and the effects of consumerism on the environment and its impact on society as a whole.
We’ve all heard the phrases “Must-haves” and “Must buys” and “Must” whatever it is to make us buy something. Are any of these deemed “Must purchases” really essential?
Well, even if they aren’t, we’re buying them!
According to the video below, in the U.S people are subjected to around 3,000 advertisements a day, which is compared to 50 years ago, more than people in America saw in a lifetime.





So what are the mass media and Ads really doing?
They’re basically telling us our hair’s wrong, our clothes are ugly, our skin is blotchy, our phone’s useless and our lifestyles need makeovers. They make us unsatisfied with ourselves. Then after feeling dissatisfied, we move to these products in order to fill that emptiness, that bubble of dissatisfaction that is created. This is what Grazian calls a “capitalist industry with exploitive motives”. We’re all part of one massive business. It’s all about making money ladies and gentlemen. Not satisfying real needs like creativity, happiness and freedom.
Mass media and mass marketing is the key. Generally people want to identify with a group and marketing sells lifestyle choices. They use the same tactics as religion. If you don’t do A, you won’t get B. Most people don’t have the courage to be unique. Cleverly, the people that market mass-produced “cultural products”, clothing and accessories etc. entice people by telling them if you wear this item it will set you apart and they will gain status when really the consumer pays to be a walking billboard.
It’s obvious if you look around that the clothing presents a sort of false ideal because most people wear things that aren’t necessarily flattering to their figures. You cannot look like Angelina Jolie by wearing the same clothes. Now the consumer goes a step further into body modification - and mass media then advertises plastic surgery.



So they tell you to get your plastic card, and buy more plastic stuff to set yourself apart. Stuff mass-produced, manufactured in third-world nations for a rate of a dime-a-dozen.
But the crafty schemes of culture industries, are not entirely dominating the masses. Even though my closets are crammed (maybe not to such an extreme) a light always shines when cultural innovation, and creativity, and real art does emerge despite the manipulative strategies of culture industries producing what we call “popular culture”.