Islamic Arab hospitality and multiculturalism

Abstract

This ethnographic study in Qatar and United Arab Emirates addresses a particular Islamic consumptionscape as well as a related commodified practice: that of Arab hospitality. This much vaunted Arab virtue is examined in three contexts: home hospitality, commercial hospitality, and hospitality toward foreign guest workers and visitors. We find that home hospitality is largely extended inward and involves sharing in with close same-sex friends and family in a tournament of status, while hospitality toward foreigners is largely either nonexistent or outsourced to other foreigners. These patterns are explained in terms of hyper-ritualization of that which is most in doubt, namely, multiculturalism and patriarchal authority. We argue that this same pattern of hyper-ritualization may apply in other ritual contexts like American Thanksgiving celebrations.