I don't know how but it looks like I somehow missed this assignment for last Monday, so here it is now. Sorry that it's a little later.
Shirley and I are very interested in the psychological choices that Moroccan men and women make in relation to how they dress. As much as I would like to say that I don't think about what I'm wearing, I do. I don't just wake up in the morning and throw something on, I make sure it matches and that it is appropriate for what kind of day I'm going to have. So I have come to the realization that fashion decisions are not as simple as I have made them out to be in previous times. Aside from my personal thoughts, I think that our topic is well designed and could possibly be answered in a variety of ways. I think, and Shirley might disagree, our biggest challenge will be staying focused on one technique and not trying to do too much in the short amount of time that we are allowed.
At this time, we think that our best technique will be to approach patrons at Moroccan cafes with a short questionnaire. Also we also hope to find someone to conduct a case study on.
Some of the challenges that I anticipate:
1. Being able to properly identify our patrons as Moroccans. Also, it might be difficult to approach them because as Miriam pointed out to us, they have been under watch for quite some time. They are the topic of research for many people. I feel like it might be difficult to establish the necessary connections with these people in the 4 weeks that we have.
2. Determining the most appropriate questions, ones that are going to get us answers while still not invading our interviewee's personal space.
3. TIME. I hate time, it just gets in the way.
Sunday, May 20, 2007
Fashion/Religion Interview
The topic of the interview is the current state of fashion and what it is influenced by. I started the interview that showing Paulina my blog on fashion, and then linked her to some of the articles that I had used for my background information on the topic....
1. Interviewee Name: Paulina Zayko, a patron at the cafe that I have seen on numerous occasions, often overhearing her strong opinions on international topics.
2. Place and Date of interview: Sunday May 20th 2007 at the Cafe on the Ave during the University District Street Fair.
3. Demographics: Gender: Female; Age: 20; Education: Junior at the University of Washington majoring in Microbiology and Psychology; Ethnicity: White; Place of Residence: Seattle; Place of Birth: Russia
4. Religion/Politics: "Not a religion, but more of a relationship/lifestyle with God"; Moderately Liberal
Here are the questions that I asked her:
1. What made you decide to dress today the way you have? Is today different from any other day? How long does it take to you to decide what to wear?
2. How religious do you classify yourself to be? Is there anything on your body that you think says something about your religious or political position? Does your religion play a role in your fashion choices?
3. Please tell me what you think of when your hear this quote, "It is as though religious attire is often worn as a fashion statement, or an assertion of difference, as much as a sign of devotion" (Buruma, 123).
4. What is your opinion of the current debate in Europe over the right for Muslim women to wear their headscarves in public places?
5. Anything else you want to tell me relating to the topic of fashion?
Here are her answers:1. "Today specifically, I was actually running extremely late for church and knew that I was going to be studying all day so my decision was based on what I could throw on the fastest that would also be very comfortable later on in the day to study in. Most days it takes about 1 minute to maybe 1 ½ minutes (today was probably more like 10 seconds). On days I go out to special events, maybe up to 10 minutes max."
2. "I don’t believe in the word “religion” simply because of how it is generally applied in Western nations in this generation. I would consider a faith or belief system to be a lifestyle, a commitment to and relationship with God. I have a wonderful relationship with God (the Christian God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob) and live a lifestyle that my friends would say is consistent with my faith. So in that sense, I consider myself strong in my faith and would most likely be viewed as very “religious” by others.
No, there isn’t anything “on” my body that necessarily says anything about my religious or political views. I would say it isn’t what is “on” your body that is important, but what you do with it. As previously mentioned, I view my faith as a relationship, so in that sense there isn’t anything set in stone about what my attire should be. That being said, as far as my personal convictions and decisions go, I would probably be viewed as slightly conservative in how I dress but this isn’t directly controlled by my christian “religion” and is more my personal decision and choice."
3. "I completely disagree with that statement. As far as the Islamic religion is concerned, I don’t see their outward expression of faith in any shape or form an arrogant attempt to stand out. That being said, I can understand that theirs is the only religion that requires such an intense commitment in their attire and can also see why people would wonder why they should be an exception. However, I think if there going to be a freedom of religion, there also needs to be an open-minded population to all components of all religions. As far as what I think of the quote in terms of how it relates to my faith, I would say my attire is definitely not a distinguishing factor. I personally think that God is more concerned with a devoted heart, not a devoted dress style."
4. "Quite frankly, I don’t understand that debate. Even though in my faith attire isn’t what is important, I couldn’t imagine having that freedom taken away if it was. I have seen plenty of attire donned in public that I would personally think to be a far bigger problem than a headscarf, or sometimes “lack of” attire seen in public places or even the magazines over in Europe that should be by far more troubling. Where would it stop? Would it stop at trying to control the attire of one type of minority? Why isn’t this considered discrimination? Would it move on? Is the final goal going to be a high school list of proper attire in public? Again, I don’t understand a debate on the “right” of anyone to his or her attire. This is most likely stemmed from the wonderful freedom that I am used to in America, so I am probably biased in this view.
5. Yes. I feel the Western nations have finally reached an era where fashion is the sovereign right of every human and isn’t something that can or should be controlled for any reason, especially in nations claiming to have a freedom of human rights."
Response to Ch. 6 & 7 of Buruma
Having read Murder in Amsterdam in sections, my response to these chaphters are starting to resemble my previous thoughts, but now I have taken what Buruma says a little more personal about people's thoughts of themselves and others. I think that the general population in the Netherlands that are passionate about what happened to Theo Van Gogh and about the policies of immigration is confused about how they feel. Mohammed himself seemed to be a very confused man in the words of Buruma. Mohammed often correlated his actions to his religion, but I just learned he wasn't the religious man that I always thought he was. I think he had a lot of bigger issues that he needed to work through before being able to pose his ideas on other people, or in this case critisize others' opinion.
The internal conflict his murderer seems to be very prevalant in Amsterdam, as demonstrated through the lack of common resolution to the issue of how to honor the death of Theo Van Gogh. Some people felt that his presence was not necessary in Amsterdam, but having this belief goes against everything I have always thought of Amsterdam to be. What ever happened to the liberal tolerance that people on the outside still believe to exsist?
More to come....
The internal conflict his murderer seems to be very prevalant in Amsterdam, as demonstrated through the lack of common resolution to the issue of how to honor the death of Theo Van Gogh. Some people felt that his presence was not necessary in Amsterdam, but having this belief goes against everything I have always thought of Amsterdam to be. What ever happened to the liberal tolerance that people on the outside still believe to exsist?
More to come....
Friday, May 18, 2007
A Moroccan's Opinion on Fashion
I think there is significantly more American influence on my Generation's fashion than ever before. I never saw more people wearing G-Unit (50Cents Hip-Hop Record Label) clothing in one place before I went to Morocco last summer. As far as religious clothing, I think it is now used more as of a fashion statement, especially from a musical taste point of view, than it is for prayer or religious holidays. The "Tagiyya", which is the thin bowl-likehead cap, can be a sign of Rock and/or Metal music influence; Whereas the"Jellaba", which is the long hooded shirt/dress, can signify Reggae,Gnawa, and/or Soul music influence.
Moroccans of my generation in general, across all economical and social layers, pay very close attention to fashion. In most cases, people preview each other under the perception of what you wear is what you are.So the more expensive the clothes, and the more famous the designer, the more highly regarded you are. There is actually a saying that "people can tell what kind of person you are by looking at your shoes".
My parent's generation I think is more religious in general and that reflects on the clothing. But I think also part of it is the lack of fashion options and awareness some 30 years ago.
As a recovering from occupancy 3rd world country (after 1950s) my parents generation was mostly poor; and the media infrastructure was not open and accessible enough to allow American and European fashion to leak in.
Currently, it costs a quarter of a dollar to spend an hour at a cybercafe in Morocco, so fashion access/influence is affordable by all.Also the number of Moroccan emigrants especially in Europe has increased dramatically. And most of them go back to the old country every take down their closets with them, and leave half of it to their cousins on the way back. So I see Morocco as a geographically strategic fashion consumer.
The higher society layers actually do most of their clothes shopping in Spain, Italy, and France (especially Paris).
Morocco is more famous for its Couscous than for its Jellaba so most of our fashion and clothing is imported.Right now the "Keftan" the modern women dress formerly worn in holidays and parties is fully exported to Europe (especially Paris) where it is taking part of "high couture" clientele’s interest, and is a big Défilée topic.
~~ZAK
Moroccans of my generation in general, across all economical and social layers, pay very close attention to fashion. In most cases, people preview each other under the perception of what you wear is what you are.So the more expensive the clothes, and the more famous the designer, the more highly regarded you are. There is actually a saying that "people can tell what kind of person you are by looking at your shoes".
My parent's generation I think is more religious in general and that reflects on the clothing. But I think also part of it is the lack of fashion options and awareness some 30 years ago.
As a recovering from occupancy 3rd world country (after 1950s) my parents generation was mostly poor; and the media infrastructure was not open and accessible enough to allow American and European fashion to leak in.
Currently, it costs a quarter of a dollar to spend an hour at a cybercafe in Morocco, so fashion access/influence is affordable by all.Also the number of Moroccan emigrants especially in Europe has increased dramatically. And most of them go back to the old country every take down their closets with them, and leave half of it to their cousins on the way back. So I see Morocco as a geographically strategic fashion consumer.
The higher society layers actually do most of their clothes shopping in Spain, Italy, and France (especially Paris).
Morocco is more famous for its Couscous than for its Jellaba so most of our fashion and clothing is imported.Right now the "Keftan" the modern women dress formerly worn in holidays and parties is fully exported to Europe (especially Paris) where it is taking part of "high couture" clientele’s interest, and is a big Défilée topic.
~~ZAK
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
New thoughts on our research...
I don't know what I would do without Shirley, I lack any computer brains, especially the ones necessary to put together a wiki page! So here it is...the revision to our question with the help of Julie and Jessica:
Moroccan Immigrants and Their Choice in Fashion
Intro
Our focus is on Moroccan youth and their choice in fashion. We feel that fashion can be a window into a variety of lifestyle factors especially cultural and social pressures. The following quote from Buruma is great food for thought:
"It is as though religious attire is often worn as a fashion statement, or an assertion of difference, as much as a sign of devotion" (Buruma, 123).
We would like to see how much of Moroccan youth’s dress is attributed to religious and cultural motives and what these motives may be. We are interested in seeing how changes in ethnic fashion can be a response to social and cultural forces.
Relating back to Buruma's quote, we hope to learn what kind of atmosphere Amsterdam provides in terms of leniency on dress. For example, strong negative pressures against headscarfs might develop a certain set of motives/responses in the youth culture whereas an indifferent or positive pressure may lead to another. But this dynamic interplay will most likely be unique to each city/region so our focus will be on Amsterdam.
Research Question
What are the factors that influence the dress choice (particularly focusing on the headscarf and skull cap) of 1st generation Moroccan women/men respectively between the ages of 18 and 22? How does this compare with the 2nd generation?
Background
Culturally speaking, Moroccans along with Turks are said to have greater assimilation barriers in relation to other immigrant groups. They also tend to continue living in ethnic minority neighborhoods through generations.
Studies have shown that girls tend to have more internalization problems than boys do. Family conflicts is a major cause. Girls who have a lower affiliation with their Moroccan background tend to have greater problems with internal assimilation.
Recently in France, the hijab was banned from being worn in a public setting. The Dutch also have legal capacity to do so, but it seems Dutch have not been condoning this type of response so far or wish to follow this example. A Dutch designer has created a line of trendy hijabs for athletic and casual wear.
Dutch commercial fashion is known to be individualistic and often reject mass branding and symbols of excess. Common themes that appear are sexuality and historicism. There is also often inspiration taken from urban settings such as alleys, drug use, or police scenes.
Methodology
Prior to departure:
We would like to research the fashion of Dutch natives as well as Moroccan natives.
1. We plan to look into designers' websites to see their most recent designs and what influences their designs.
2. We will also browse forums and online fashion magazines to see if we can get any knowledge pertaining to the fashion field.
We will also locate places of high density Moroccan immigrants for active observation.
This involves talking to individuals at these social centers as well as handing out questionnaires/surveys which will allow us to guarantee that the population we talk to is a Moroccan majority.
1. We will gather a list of indicators for Moroccans from friends/acquaintances which will also aid us in this endeavor.
2. We will create a simply non-identifying questionnaire that will include the following:
Age, gender, ethnicity, immigration status(generation), religious associations (based on a 1 to 5 scale in terms of their affiliation aka how religious they think of themselves), occupation, the questions "what influences your dress choice today?" (Multiple Choice) and "Does today differ from a regular day?" (Y/N/How?)
In Amsterdam:
1. We plan to observe Moroccans and take note of their fashion on a native Moroccan to native Dutch scale which we will develop after completing our prior-to-departure research.
2. We will collect and analyze quantitative data from our surveys.
3. We will attempt to interview locals and get a case study on a 1st generation Moroccan man/woman if we are successful.
As an aside, we think it will be interesting to talk to workers in clothing stores as well who have had contact with various people and understand the clothing business and popular dress in Amsterdam.
Resources
Articles
Variations in immigrant incorporation in the neighborhoods of Amsterdam (Logan JR)
Predicting internalizing problems in Moroccan immigrant adolescents in the Netherlands(Stevens GWJM, Vollebergh WAM, Pels TVM, et al.)
Predicting externalizing problems in Moroccan immigrant adolescents in the Netherlands (Stevens GWJM, Vollebergh WAM, Pels TVM, et al.)
The individual characteristics, ethnic identity, and cultural orientation of successful secondary school students of Turkish and Moroccan background in the Netherlands (Van der Veen I, Meijnen GW)
Sexual behaviour of second generation Moroccan immigrants balancing between traditional attitudes and safe sex (Hendrickx K, Lodewijckx E, Van Royen P, et al.)
URLs & Blogs
http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/0417/p07s02-woeu.html (Article on Trendy Hijab Designer) http://www.isim.nl/files/Review_19/Review_19-64.pdf (Fashion in Europe Project)
http://www.iconique.com/catwalk/afw2006/ (Amsterdam Fashion Week)
http://www.dutchfashionfoundation.com/ (Dutch Fashion Foundation)
http://dutchdesignevents.com/orangealert_fit.html (Intro on Dutch Fashion Style)
http://dir.blogflux.com/search.php?q=Amsterdam&search=Search (Amsterdam Blogs)
http://www.slowtrav.com/blog/marta/archives/000684.html (Marta from WA's Travel Journal)
http://fashion.blog.nl/ (Dutch Fashion Blog)
http://www.docbug.com/Pictures/Amsterdam-2004/index.html (Amsterdam Photos)
Moroccan Immigrants and Their Choice in Fashion
Intro
Our focus is on Moroccan youth and their choice in fashion. We feel that fashion can be a window into a variety of lifestyle factors especially cultural and social pressures. The following quote from Buruma is great food for thought:
"It is as though religious attire is often worn as a fashion statement, or an assertion of difference, as much as a sign of devotion" (Buruma, 123).
We would like to see how much of Moroccan youth’s dress is attributed to religious and cultural motives and what these motives may be. We are interested in seeing how changes in ethnic fashion can be a response to social and cultural forces.
Relating back to Buruma's quote, we hope to learn what kind of atmosphere Amsterdam provides in terms of leniency on dress. For example, strong negative pressures against headscarfs might develop a certain set of motives/responses in the youth culture whereas an indifferent or positive pressure may lead to another. But this dynamic interplay will most likely be unique to each city/region so our focus will be on Amsterdam.
Research Question
What are the factors that influence the dress choice (particularly focusing on the headscarf and skull cap) of 1st generation Moroccan women/men respectively between the ages of 18 and 22? How does this compare with the 2nd generation?
Background
Culturally speaking, Moroccans along with Turks are said to have greater assimilation barriers in relation to other immigrant groups. They also tend to continue living in ethnic minority neighborhoods through generations.
Studies have shown that girls tend to have more internalization problems than boys do. Family conflicts is a major cause. Girls who have a lower affiliation with their Moroccan background tend to have greater problems with internal assimilation.
Recently in France, the hijab was banned from being worn in a public setting. The Dutch also have legal capacity to do so, but it seems Dutch have not been condoning this type of response so far or wish to follow this example. A Dutch designer has created a line of trendy hijabs for athletic and casual wear.
Dutch commercial fashion is known to be individualistic and often reject mass branding and symbols of excess. Common themes that appear are sexuality and historicism. There is also often inspiration taken from urban settings such as alleys, drug use, or police scenes.
Methodology
Prior to departure:
We would like to research the fashion of Dutch natives as well as Moroccan natives.
1. We plan to look into designers' websites to see their most recent designs and what influences their designs.
2. We will also browse forums and online fashion magazines to see if we can get any knowledge pertaining to the fashion field.
We will also locate places of high density Moroccan immigrants for active observation.
This involves talking to individuals at these social centers as well as handing out questionnaires/surveys which will allow us to guarantee that the population we talk to is a Moroccan majority.
1. We will gather a list of indicators for Moroccans from friends/acquaintances which will also aid us in this endeavor.
2. We will create a simply non-identifying questionnaire that will include the following:
Age, gender, ethnicity, immigration status(generation), religious associations (based on a 1 to 5 scale in terms of their affiliation aka how religious they think of themselves), occupation, the questions "what influences your dress choice today?" (Multiple Choice) and "Does today differ from a regular day?" (Y/N/How?)
In Amsterdam:
1. We plan to observe Moroccans and take note of their fashion on a native Moroccan to native Dutch scale which we will develop after completing our prior-to-departure research.
2. We will collect and analyze quantitative data from our surveys.
3. We will attempt to interview locals and get a case study on a 1st generation Moroccan man/woman if we are successful.
As an aside, we think it will be interesting to talk to workers in clothing stores as well who have had contact with various people and understand the clothing business and popular dress in Amsterdam.
Resources
Articles
Variations in immigrant incorporation in the neighborhoods of Amsterdam (Logan JR)
Predicting internalizing problems in Moroccan immigrant adolescents in the Netherlands(Stevens GWJM, Vollebergh WAM, Pels TVM, et al.)
Predicting externalizing problems in Moroccan immigrant adolescents in the Netherlands (Stevens GWJM, Vollebergh WAM, Pels TVM, et al.)
The individual characteristics, ethnic identity, and cultural orientation of successful secondary school students of Turkish and Moroccan background in the Netherlands (Van der Veen I, Meijnen GW)
Sexual behaviour of second generation Moroccan immigrants balancing between traditional attitudes and safe sex (Hendrickx K, Lodewijckx E, Van Royen P, et al.)
URLs & Blogs
http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/0417/p07s02-woeu.html (Article on Trendy Hijab Designer) http://www.isim.nl/files/Review_19/Review_19-64.pdf (Fashion in Europe Project)
http://www.iconique.com/catwalk/afw2006/ (Amsterdam Fashion Week)
http://www.dutchfashionfoundation.com/ (Dutch Fashion Foundation)
http://dutchdesignevents.com/orangealert_fit.html (Intro on Dutch Fashion Style)
http://dir.blogflux.com/search.php?q=Amsterdam&search=Search (Amsterdam Blogs)
http://www.slowtrav.com/blog/marta/archives/000684.html (Marta from WA's Travel Journal)
http://fashion.blog.nl/ (Dutch Fashion Blog)
http://www.docbug.com/Pictures/Amsterdam-2004/index.html (Amsterdam Photos)
Wednesday, May 2, 2007
E-Research
As I had commented in class, I didn't really see the difference between e-research and the research that is currently being done in the humanities and social sciences. After Paul's explanation about e-research, I guess I understand why I have been so confused by it for so long. The whole entire topic of e-research is a broad explanation of the type of research that goes on during the interaction of technology and through the use of modern technology, such as the blogosphere. It makes the older methods of collecting and data sharing seem very ineffective. While the older methods tend to answer questions that are based in quantitative data collection, the newer methods of e-research will lead to answers regarding qualitative questions. I think it will answer the question why through the interaction of people and technology.
In response to how our group will utilize e-research to find the answers to our questions prior to heading to Amsterdam, I think we will have to find discussions on the Internet about fashion, through the interaction of fashion stylist and their suggestions. Much like the millions of fashion and gossip magazines available here in the United States, I think it will be possible to access those kind of things in Amsterdam. By accessing the types of fashion statements that are being made in Amsterdam, we will have a basis for what is popular and where. I also think we will have to find out more about what the religion says in regard to how women and men dress. I think of any type of bible (or the Koran) as being created by man instead of an all mighty power, so it would be interesting to use the Internet to find access to discusses of such things. I have also thought about using forums to set up my own discussion to see what kind of responses I will get back. I don't think the uses I have mentioned above necessarily involve the term e-research, more than they just involve the benefits of Internet access.
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