Comments on: Cool is so 90s! Exotica is now!

By: Zenah

Zenah — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 16:03:15 +0000

I actually think this is well-written. Cultural touches are being thrown all over the place to lose their attachments to their origins. Who can now prove that all those colored koufiyis are originally Palestinian or Jordanian?

By: Zenah

Zenah — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 08:03:15 +0000

By: Khaled Sedki

Khaled Sedki — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 20:57:19 +0000

Thanks Diana!
I've posted something in response to your comment a while back but seems it didn't feed-in.
So I'll try to capture it back,
as for the social phenomena you've mentioned, it actually breaks into many reasons; for that such phenomena does not operate by itself but rather as a signifier of complex social-class tensions..
The reasons are difficult to project here, but an interesting phenomena is the detachment of Bourgeois from social context; cultural, social, political, habits, tradition, language, interests..etc as a result of growing consumership in bureaucratic societies /
Meaning you'll end up with a class more oriented with (lets say) hollywood than with the neighbors next door, affiliated (to be more precise) with distant cultures of similar consumerist approach rather than people of physical and existential coexistence!
an iPhone owner, or a person tuned to showtime may have more discussion topics and common interests with a Californian than a colleague with no access to "Prison Break"! (sorry Im outdated!)

This results into tension, which calls for the bourgeois to reproduce these values in a package that preserves social-distinction
This is one of the processes which build up to such phenomena-

I don't know if this answers your question well, but its difficult to sum up the reasons for such trends; moral, cultural and social trends since this calls for a dialectic review
but here's just an impression..!
Hope it's useful in any sense.

Cheers

By: dianayounes

dianayounes — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 12:08:18 +0000

Khaled thanks so much
i love seeing arab academic analysis. wish we could suppliment our theory with some local names. i don't know if i can even understand theory in arabic anymore. my question for you is how do you explain orientalist consumerist fashions amongst the arabs in arab countries. the young people wearing sherwals in the levant are not merely immitating fashions in western countries but seem to be drawing distinctions between themselves and their fellow country-people. They look like they are wearing arab garb but they are not wearing it like haj khaled who sells 3abayat in downtown. in fact, it is not the same at all. they wouldn't buy it where he is buying it. what is your opinion on that?
my personal research has been on why young jordanian students leave their countries to study abroad (specific case of canada). So, I love deconstructing the small communities of returnees, the business that spring to cater to them, the language(s) they use, the wages, the fashions, etc…

By: Khaled Sedki

Khaled Sedki — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 16:11:28 +0000

Ree7 thanks again for your comments and for enriching the discussion.
as for Fukyama's "end of history", it certainly isn't what he's promoting since it's of very little significance as most of his texts, but the notion of referring back to Heidigger's concept of history as a dialectic mode of being- his deceleration was a result of realizing the loss of ideological tension required for social and political evolution according to historical dialectic.
This is clearly evident in all current 'political' phenomena you've mentioned; for that China got to "rise" after adopting the 'package' submissively since molding into an awkward form of liberal economy-
So again since the fall of Berlin wall this evolutionary tension was lost, but the outcome of the late events you've mentioned were reproduction of "state": re-introducing the role of state
and re-introducing the role of politics; the first and most radical redefinition of capitalist state since Roseau. This is what I'm personally interested in, and this form of state is one that crossed concepts of "democracy" or "dictatorship". and btw it isnt even a "liberal" state since the "state" have pooled in 800 billions in the market through the latest 10 year-plan of which the majority of funds are International- which the 'Chinese Dragon' chipped in! but thats another story-

Apologize for the vague improvised response.

Thanks again for your comments, and I'm sorry some of the info were outdated but I truly and honestly don't follow up with neither world events, news, nor politics and I don't read newspapers, magazines, articles nor blogs. Have a good day.

By: ree7

ree7 — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 05:26:28 +0000

@Khaled
We're getting a little bit edgy, aren't we? so you feel that i'm being too shallow when talking about Humos or fashion, maybe you have a point, But if I were to discuss more "serious" issues you adressed; like "Fukyama", then maybe you should choose a better reference than The End of History and the Last Man, because what he was trying to show was the approval that the political and economic liberalism is getting from all the nations in the world, but the problem is he wrote the book in 1992. So he didn't expect 9/11 nor the rise of the Chinese Dragon or even the financial crisis. Which puts us on a new chapter; seeing that the wold isn't really comfortable with the way the American government is handling things, and maybe their Democracy isn't just what people had in mind. Maybe you should've read your friend's - Fukyama - article in Newsweek (http://www.newsweek.com/id/162401/output/print)

But hey, excuse me if I like my Humos while having a better updated view on the events of the world, especially when i'm reading a blog about my culture.

By: Khaled Sedki

Khaled Sedki — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 17:05:08 +0000

@Mais thanks!
@ ree7 thanks for your comment and also the updates! I'm sorry I have to admit I'm a little behind when it comes to Humos news and fashion trends!
Both falafel and shirwals were examples to somehow materialize the suggested idea rather than objectify it. Consumption of ideals is what's interesting and reintroducing role of 'state' and 'politics' are two revolutionary outcomes of the circumstance which made Fukyama announce the end of history- these concepts deny the entire evolutionary course of 'state' since Rousseau in late 1700s.

This is what I'm interested in researching
I do appreciate though the corrections on the current state of fashion and the humos records.
Cheers.

By: melicieuse

melicieuse — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 16:56:57 +0000

I agree sherwals have been in trendy in Europe for the past 3/4 years (my first European bought sherwal was a little over 4 years ago), I also agree we should start actively defending our cultural brands (mostly food and clothing) but it would be amazing if we give our Arab “brains and creators” a chance and push them to the light as well.
We have plenty of Arab intellectual and artistic talents we should brand and sell them too not just humos and falafel

By: ree7

ree7 — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 05:26:21 +0000

I'm not really sure that sherwal became the new trend, “its been two years since people started wearing them, and Falafel stopped being considered as arabian food, it is more mediterranean related. And the Israelis won the contest of the largest Humos back, it was a month ago.

Sorry man, but you should be doing more research.