Qat, Cosmopolitanism, and Modernity in Sana’a, Yemen
Qat, or Catha edulis, is a drug widely and frequently consumed by Yemeni men and married women. Unmarried women, in contrast, have historically chewed less frequently as their consuming qat is generally deemed inappropriate and shameful (‛ayb). This informal prohibition on qat consumption for unmarr...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Centre Français d’Archéologie et de Sciences Sociales de Sanaa
2013-03-01
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| Series: | Arabian Humanities |
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| Online Access: | https://journals.openedition.org/arabianhumanities/2072 |
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| author | Irene van Oorschot |
| author_facet | Irene van Oorschot |
| author_sort | Irene van Oorschot |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Qat, or Catha edulis, is a drug widely and frequently consumed by Yemeni men and married women. Unmarried women, in contrast, have historically chewed less frequently as their consuming qat is generally deemed inappropriate and shameful (‛ayb). This informal prohibition on qat consumption for unmarried women, however, is increasingly transgressed by a select cohort of young, educated, and unmarried women with distinguished, upper‑class backgrounds. Drawing on in‑depth interviews, participant observations and informal conversations gathered within the context of eight months of ethnographic fieldwork conducted in 2009, it is argued that chewing qat works to create and maintain class‑specific, “modern” subjectivities revolving around values and practices of cosmopolitanism, independence, and freedom. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-b41bcc7e91804aa0be06c3416ba3841f |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2308-6122 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2013-03-01 |
| publisher | Centre Français d’Archéologie et de Sciences Sociales de Sanaa |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Arabian Humanities |
| spelling | doaj-art-b41bcc7e91804aa0be06c3416ba3841f2025-08-20T01:54:49ZengCentre Français d’Archéologie et de Sciences Sociales de SanaaArabian Humanities2308-61222013-03-01110.4000/cy.2072Qat, Cosmopolitanism, and Modernity in Sana’a, YemenIrene van OorschotQat, or Catha edulis, is a drug widely and frequently consumed by Yemeni men and married women. Unmarried women, in contrast, have historically chewed less frequently as their consuming qat is generally deemed inappropriate and shameful (‛ayb). This informal prohibition on qat consumption for unmarried women, however, is increasingly transgressed by a select cohort of young, educated, and unmarried women with distinguished, upper‑class backgrounds. Drawing on in‑depth interviews, participant observations and informal conversations gathered within the context of eight months of ethnographic fieldwork conducted in 2009, it is argued that chewing qat works to create and maintain class‑specific, “modern” subjectivities revolving around values and practices of cosmopolitanism, independence, and freedom.https://journals.openedition.org/arabianhumanities/2072gendermodernityqatconsumptioncosmopolitanismelite women |
| spellingShingle | Irene van Oorschot Qat, Cosmopolitanism, and Modernity in Sana’a, Yemen Arabian Humanities gender modernity qat consumption cosmopolitanism elite women |
| title | Qat, Cosmopolitanism, and Modernity in Sana’a, Yemen |
| title_full | Qat, Cosmopolitanism, and Modernity in Sana’a, Yemen |
| title_fullStr | Qat, Cosmopolitanism, and Modernity in Sana’a, Yemen |
| title_full_unstemmed | Qat, Cosmopolitanism, and Modernity in Sana’a, Yemen |
| title_short | Qat, Cosmopolitanism, and Modernity in Sana’a, Yemen |
| title_sort | qat cosmopolitanism and modernity in sana a yemen |
| topic | gender modernity qat consumption cosmopolitanism elite women |
| url | https://journals.openedition.org/arabianhumanities/2072 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT irenevanoorschot qatcosmopolitanismandmodernityinsanaayemen |