Effect of Consumerism on Middle Eastern Culture and Identity - Essay Example

Consumerism and the Loss of Identity in the Middle East (Dubai and Doha) A pursuit of desperation for the ‘real’ in the realm of the ‘unreal’ Submitted By: Submitted To: Date: CONTENT Abstract 3 Introduction 4 Consumerism 4 Culture and Consumerism 4 Literature Review 5 Economic Progression 5 Changing Role of Women in Middle East 8 Rising Consumerism 9 Effect of Consumerism on Middle Eastern Culture and Identity 11 Findings 12 Conclusion 12 The differences between social groups are highlighted in consumerist culture and consumerism may have to do more with social culture than with economic factors. Consumerism may be an economic trend but it is largely and firstly a social phenomenon. The post modern approach in the development of capitalism provides an explanatory framework for consumerism as in post modernism, identities are in a constant state of change; and individuals are no longer formally distinct categories. This loss of categorization may be related to a loss of cultural identity and the loss of cultural identity is thus seen as a post modern capitalistic phenomenon. 13 References 14 Consumerism and the Loss of Identity in the Middle East (Dubai and Doha) A pursuit of desperation for the ‘real’ in the realm of the ‘unreal’ Abstract This paper seeks to identify how consumerism has affected the lives of the people and the paper focuses on exploring the concept of consumerism as it has developed in recent years in the Middle East. Globalization as a phenomenon is also studied to determine how the economic progression of the Middle Eastern countries has encouraged a culture of consumerism. The result is a change in cultural and social perceptions and this change is closely related to the consumerist culture which seems to have transformed traditional identities in the Middle East. The focus of this research is also on the consumerist culture pertaining to women and their compulsive buying behavior. Some of the works I have referred to include Consumption by Robert Bocock which explores the history of consumerism and The Beauty Myth by Naomi Wolf, a work that addresses the situation of women in terms of beauty and how it has been used as a marketing tool and created an obsession with physical appearance. This essay explores the concept of consumerism and its relationship with social trends and perceptions and highlights the extensive marketing networks that define consumption patterns. The relationship between capitalistic consumption and cultural traditional identities is also explored to study religious, psychological, political and social dimensions in the Middle East. Introduction Consumerism Consumption in its economic term refers to consumers buying and using the things they ‘need’. However as explored in Consumption by Robert Bocock, there has been a shift in the way consumption is defined. Consumption is founded on the basis of a need and a constant sense of incompleteness that is compensated with material things. This is because consumers desire the “unattainable- that is the satiation of all their desires.” Constant consumption itself should not be seen as a consumption of material things, but a consumption of ideas. As Bocock describes it, “People are symbol-producing, symbol consuming, creatures.” However this is a broader definition of consumption and in modern businesses consumption is the concept of the buyers having the right to choose what they want to consume, being well informed about their choices. Consumption has become a ‘process’ which typifies late modern or post modern capitalism, in so far as many peoples sense of identity is now bound up with their patterns of consumption rather than other work roles. It can now be said that a new phase of capitalism has now emerged and could be termed as "post modern" capitalism as consumerism is another aspect of capitalism. Consumerism is about creating need and an almost obsessive focus on fulfilling these needs through consuming material goods and products yet as Bocock has suggested, the true phenomenon of consumption has changed the concept of need to that of desire (Bocock, 1993/2001). The entire exercise of consumption may be subjective and look meaningless to some, although may provide a sense of satisfaction, security and completeness to compulsive consumers. Modern consumption therefore is not seen as something natural or linked to our biological needs. It is “acquired, learned; something which some people are socialized into desiring.” And it is this desire which drives this obsession of consuming that in itself is a never ending cycle and does not result in ‘satisfaction’ since the products are not there to fulfill a need but a desire. Bocock defines ‘desire’ as being “in part, if not entirely, the consequence of the social and cultural practices which surround people and he says that this just goes to show how powerful this urge to consume is. Culture and Consumerism The onslaught of the consumerist culture can be attributed to a number of factors. These factors include increased tourism in the region, the open trade facilities leading to the influx of expatriates in the region, the exposure garnered through television and media and the World Wide Web. Western influences have steadily affected the Middle East and Qatar and the western consumer culture has influenced the people through TV shows with children being the most affected. Increased travel to the western countries also has an impact on the preferences for clothes and designer wear and more Arab women who travel to Western countries regularly like to follow the lifestyle of westerners. The exposure to the international community, their life styles and their way of thinking has encouraged the spread of consumerism in the region. Literature Review Economic Progression The culture of consumerism in the Middle East emerged at the time when the Middle Eastern countries began exporting oil with increased natural resources, booming economy and increased disposable income in the families. The increase in the economic indicators for the countries in the Middle East as well as the resultant overall economic progression has greatly contributed to the increase in the level of consumerism in the region. “The single most important measure of economic growth is, after all, the gross national product (GNP), the sum total of goods and services produced by a given society in a given year. It is a measure of the success of a consumer society, obviously, to consume.” (Robbins, 1998, pp. 209-210)1 Globalization in the Middle East has also been a significant contributor to the increase in consumerism in the region. As Javed has suggested: “The current globalization of the best original ideas parked under globally protected name identities, applying the power of delivering unique selling propositions and making them available in multiple countries and across continents is on the march. All over the world, the race for syndicated/franchised ideas is on at full speed” (Javed, 2007)2. The increased level of globalization in the region has attracted people from US, UK and Europe as well as from countries like China, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh etc and subsequently changed the cultural fabric of the region. As researchers have argued, the strategic focus of globalization is not only on promoting consumerism for expanding markets but also on developing consumer instincts in the people, to divert people from advanced social ideals,” ultimately enervating civil society” (Bhattacharya)3. Identity Consumerism is closely related to the concept of personal identity as identities are very much shaped by what people consume and desire to consume. The things they buy, and want to buy give them a (false) sense of completion. This affects all people, old, young, men, women etc. In this discussion I will also explore more closely how gender identity plays into all this, and the different effects consumerism has had upon the two genders (if any). Female Identity Looking into the history of consumption, we see women playing a more active role in the realm of consuming where traditionally men produce. As many feminists would argue, this gave men more power since “consumption was more passive, involved spending money, and did not lead to any publicly recognizable forms of power” while production was “active, led to men earning money and provided them some form of power.” Naomi Wolf, author of The Beauty Myth gives an analogy of a transformer to describe this relationship. A transformer plugs into a machine at one end, and an energy source at the other, to change an unusable current into one compatible with the machine. The beauty myth was institutionalized in the past two decades as a transformer between women and public life. It links women’s energy into the machine of power while altering the machine as little as possible to accommodate them; at the same time it weakens women’s energy at its point of origin. It does that to ensure that the machine actually scans women’s input in a code that suits the power structure Wolf looks at how American housewives were made to feel insecure and their so called lack of ‘identity’ and ‘lack of purpose’ were “manipulated into dollars.” They were to become insecure consumers that needed to find themselves through consuming. One has to only look at advertisements from the 1950’s in the west and see the picture perfect image of the housewife surrounded by all the appliances and beauty products that would make her ‘complete’ and ‘useful’. The ideal ‘self’ that she was expected to live up to was “to be a good wife, a good mother, and an efficient homemaker.” And as we can see this identity was reflected in her consumption patterns and the advertising campaigns of the time reflecting the socio-political environment and its defined role of women. The most powerful industries, like the $33-billion-a-year diet industry, the $20-billion cosmetics industry, the $300-million cosmetic surgery industry and the $7-billion pornography industry would all soon go out of business if they did not play upon women’s irrational fears and desires. The social and work environment also starts to reflect these symbolic ideals. Women are required to look young and some work positions actually set that as a requirement. Wolf labels this as the PBQ (Professional Beauty Qualification), which has been “applied overwhelmingly to women in the workplace and not to men.” Even women’s identity has been affected by consumerism. The Male Identity Looking at men today, we see that “both the genders have become major consumer groups, targeted by manufacturers, by advertisers, by department stores and by the music industry.” The gender differentiation has lessened, and consumerism has somehow found a way to even overcome gender and appeal somewhat equally and just as strongly to both genders; “masculinity, like femininity, is culturally and historically variable.” And as Bocock states it, “in the second half of the twentieth century, in the main western capitalist societies, men too have become ‘consumers’.” He attributes this to the fact that men of this generation have no been part of any great war and thus their masculinity was not defined in the way their fathers before them have been. They had to find their own way, and model to look up to and define themselves, and consumption and the media has taken over to fill that void. Wolf also argues that a male beauty myth has also developed, moving from inside the gay culture and into the mainstream and that the power structure itself between the sexes has continued to close. Male “fashion, health and grooming magazines have taken off [and] male cosmetic surgery use has hit record highs.” The homosexuals’ construction of self is very much intertwined in the way they dress, through style, body care and having the ‘look’ just as it is with women and their construction of self. We see how consumption has created groups outside the boundaries of class hierarchy and began appealing to people based on their desires and identity and how they want to define themselves. There is an increasing number of men who seek to define themselves through their choices of consumption rather than their work-role identity as they previously did. Work then just becomes a means to make money to satisfy their consumption desires, and not (in most cases) as a means of finding themselves in the field of work they occupy. Bocock states that this affects the younger of men more and that consumption has “entered into the unconscious sense of identity of men and women in the period since the 1950s.” Changing Role of Women in Middle East The role of the women in the Middle East has also been gradually changing in the recent years. With increased international exposure, the women have picked up the positive and negative aspects of western society. One of the negative aspects would be a craving for a consumerist lifestyle. Employment of women in the region has also increased creating economic independence in women and subsequently a buying culture. “The concept of work has changed and brings with it accomplishment and intellectualism. People strive to marry a working woman, to help support the family due to the socioeconomic realities of Capitalism and high standard of living.” (Working Woman in Qatar, 2008)4 William Leach examined how consumption created a “new definition of womanhood” (p.5) as he writes that the spread of consumption is more than just the replacement of indigenous goods with western ones. He emphasized on the creation of the ‘new lifestyle and ideology based on a new pattern of consumerism’. This pattern of consumption tend to spread to the upper classes as they begin to adopt “westernized styles of housing, dress, food, education transportation and leisure, furthermore these new patterns also begin to seep in into the urban middle class creating a cultural struggle for identity" (p.47) According to Russell, “while the history of consumption and its emerging meanings are relatively new to the historiography of the Middle East, the subject in the American context has been well studied. Looking into the history of consumption, women are seen as playing a more active role in the realm of consuming and traditionally men are seen as producers”. With respect to the role of woman as consumers, “opinion is divided between those who see consumption as a form of empowerment for woman and those who view it as an extension of the male authority”. The former optimistically argue that woman exercise power in both the quantity and the range of decisions encountered in the consumer experience. (p.5) Rising Consumerism The Arab consumer culture has changed significantly in the last few decades. The growing level of consumerism in the region is greatly apparent in the way people purchase products and service, the high level of prices they are willing to pay for the goods and services and the premium and prestige that they associate with brands. The construction of mega malls in the region, particularly in Dubai clearly depicts the focus of the society towards consumerism and the new consumerist culture. The consumerist culture sees the people in the Middle East using their wealth on shopping and spending on unnecessary consumer products. “Society also affects consuming behavior. Unlike the Arabs, the French know that cars are a means of transportation and not a luxury. In addition to that, some people, due to perhaps an inferiority complex, try to imitate the rich in their consumption habits. Dr Amina Al Hiel, a social expert attached to the Ministry of Education, said that consumption patterns have changed considerably after the oil boom. This is displayed by the type of bags students carry to school, fancy pens and other items. Many even go to school driving their own cars and move around with the latest mobile phones, she said.” (Consumption patterns among Qataris changing, 2007)5 The wealthy women of the region also provide as a substantially well suited clientele to the fashion designers of New York, London and Paris and fashion designers have opened their outlets in Cairo, Dubai, Qatar, Riyadh, Beruit & Kuwait. “Old money families in Europe, France in particular tend to be less "flashy" and consume less conspicuously, than the nouveux riches”. This is particularly relevant to the study of consumerism in Doha as a lot of people who have recently become wealthy recently tend to feel a sense of inferiority without branded products that provide them with a fake sense of identity. The obsession with branded goods is almost a problem in Doha as more people depend on consumption to be identified with the rich. Alienation & Melancholy When one looks at the experiences and objects being consumed, we see the reality of alienation and loneliness reflected in them. Consumers have become passive and receptive to the feelings and experiences being offered. The goods and experiences which are consumed have become pre-packaged, already created and coded to produce the required consumer responses. This has introduced a new dimension of alienation. Consumers may purchase ready-made meals, travel on packaged tours, watch sports, television, or listen to music on radio or discs, or drive a car they must not attempt to repair themselves. Capitalism has also had a profound on the family structure in these consumer societies. Tocqueville talks about the diminishing role family in America. The market system has had a profound influence on family relations and this is due to the fact that money becomes the main measure of value for individuals. Tocqueville believes that the extended family is not important, but what is more important is having an immediate family. He talks about how the breakup of the family structure is inevitable with democracy as people are moving away from their families to pursue their individual dreams. They therefore move away and establish their own identity and immediate family. Tocqueville captures the essence of this individualism and isolation by saying: Men, all equal and alike, incessantly endeavoring to procure the petty and paltry pleasures with which they glut their lives. Each of them, living apart, is as a stranger to the fate of all the rest; his children and his private friends constitute to him the whole of man-kind. As for the rest of his fellow citizens, he is close to them, but does not see them; he touches them, but does he does not feel them; he exists only in himself and for himself alone. Social & Political Effects: Globalization has indeed most parts of the world, but the benefits if one could argue so, have not been able to reach many. For example, a poor family in India or Africa could not afford food let alone a new pair of jeans or to see the latest movie. This does not mean however that they don’t want these things, and this is what creates a vast and problematic gap between the ‘haves’, and the ‘have nots’. The Article Jihad vs. McWorld by Benjamin R. Barber highlights the effect this has on the political system. He talks about the clash between tribalism and globalization and the effect this will have on democracy. Tribalism and strong nationalist ideologies (Jihad) have emerged as retaliation to globalization (the McWorld). According to Bocock however, the rise of nationalism is “a substitute, or an available alternative, to consumption, as a means of creating a sense of identity.” With globalization, most states are becoming part of this consumerist culture. Looking at a country like Qatar, we see how the effects of this can be clearly seen in every aspect, from its political, social to educational and economic reforms. Along with many other countries in the third world it has began to enter the market system and reform itself in accordance with it. From my own observations, I have noticed a shift in the culture. With all these new changes, (some of) the younger generation has seemingly lost touch with religion, family, and all the important values and are most concerned with the latest cars and fashions. The symbols and ideals have been accepted and received by this generation and it has created a market. With it this also brings tension into the society, since there will always be “a state of tension between a set of former ascetic values into which people may have been socialized, and the new search for bodily pleasures in consumption.” Fundamentalism then arises in some ways to oppose this new ‘imported culture’, boycotts and bans on products are reinforced, and the society itself becomes stuck in a state of nostalgia for the better past and a race towards the mirage of consumerist happiness and the hollow promises it offers. Another reaction to this obsessive consumption has been to become ‘unconsumers.’ Many of the youth nowadays refuse to listen to mainstream music or watch popular movies or wear popular brand names, all in an effort to create their own sense of identity far from the ideals and symbols reflected in the media and society. However even this rebellion itself has been somehow marketed into the system. Movies, music, and clothing among other things have started to reflect this need for rebellion and mirroring the frustrations felt by the youth. This rebellion will be tolerated however as long as a profit can be made out of it. Effect of Consumerism on Middle Eastern Culture and Identity Mona Russell suggests that "Trends in consumption, provide a window into more than what people are, but rather what they aim to be" and "goods make and maintain social relationship.. social groups utilize consumption to reinforce or undermine existing social boundaries". She goes on to describe how the goods amassed by individual present his/her "hierarchy of values "thus: attaching meaning to the goods" (P.5). Thus consumerism is more than just a behavior, it is an ideal and more deeply ingrained than usually thought, it is pattern of belief rather than a superficial trend and is deeply associated with the social, economic and political climate of a region. According to Bocock, Consumption is more than ever before, an experience which is to be located in the head, a matter of brain and the mind, rather than seen as the process of simply satisfying biological bodily needs, in this way alienation and estrangement, has entered modern patterns of consumption. With the increase in the level of consumerism the culture of the Middle East, its heritage and its traditional values as well as national identity have come under threat. Being strongly influenced by lifestyles in the west, Arabic women and children especially have been blindly following western traditions, dress, lifestyle that has clearly affected the potential growth and development of the traditional culture of Qatar. The increased spending on fashion, clothes, jewelry, household items, automobiles, property, luxury goods etc has become a way of life for the Middle Eastern society. The culture of increased consumption in the region and in Qatar in particular has been detrimental for cultural values and national identity. Findings The traditional values and cultural aspects of the Middle Eastern society are deteriorating in the face of the changing dynamics brought on by the increase in consumerist culture in the region. The factors that have been identified as the aggregators leading towards consumerism are as mentioned below: Women’s identity at work and at home has been affected by consumerism. As women are more influenced by westernized styles of housing, dress, food, education, transportation and leisure, a cultural struggle for identity has been created. This is even strengthened by changing roles of women in the Arab world creating economic independence in women and subsequently a consumerist culture. The craving of consumer goods by women is depicted as a direct result of perception of women as commodities as women are judged on the basis of their physical appearance. These social perceptions have also increased consumerism among women. While the older generations are still reminiscent of the local cultures, and the traditional values of the region that are still upheld by them, the younger generation in the Arab states in the Middle East on the other hand have grown up in an environment of privilege, money and luxury which combined with the exposure that they have had towards the western society has increased consumerist necessities in them. Their excessive spending on fashion, luxury goods like jewelry, automobiles and even property is reflective of the consumerist trend and tend to threaten the national identity of the people. The adoption of the western way of life is very attractive to the Middle Eastern population as it enables them to display their wealth which is much evident in the way they spend on their lavish lifestyles. Yet, as discussed this adopting western lifestyles at the expense of one’s own culture is more disadvantageous than advantageous. Conclusion Consumption has been defined as “a set of social and cultural practices which serve as a way of establishing differences between social groups and not merely as a way of expressing differences which are already in place as a result of an autonomous set of economic factors". (Bocock, 95-96) The differences between social groups are highlighted in consumerist culture and consumerism may have to do more with social culture than with economic factors. Consumerism may be an economic trend but it is largely and firstly a social phenomenon. The post modern approach in the development of capitalism provides an explanatory framework for consumerism as in post modernism, identities are in a constant state of change; and individuals are no longer formally distinct categories. This loss of categorization may be related to a loss of cultural identity and the loss of cultural identity is thus seen as a post modern capitalistic phenomenon. The combined elements of globalization and high level of consumption in the Middle East have created a consumerist culture in the region. The consumerist culture is especially promoted by women who consider shopping as an integral part of their excluded social lives. Women’s and recently even men’s identities have in a way been shaped by the consumerist culture as society expects women to be defined in a certain way. The implications of this are wide and could range from compulsive spending on branded goods to loss of a sense of traditional identity. There is also a focus on the new dimensions of capitalism and consumerism as a way of subtly strengthening capitalistic culture and this could have also introduced a new dimension to alienation. The question could be raised as to whether consumerism is creating a global or universal identity where one nationality could not be differentiated from another and all will have the same tastes and dress codes. This could have positive and negative implications. Another aspect of consumerism is alienation. Consumers spend more and more time in spending, buying and shopping and less on socializing - Modern consumers are physically passive, but mentally very busy. This sense of alienation combined with newer forms of capitalism through consumption could very well lead to the gradual erosion of any empathy with cultural identities and thus the loss of identity as related to consumerist culture in the Middle East should be studied further as a research topic for better understanding of the relationship between consumerism, culture and the Middle East. References Al-AHram Weekly Online “Brave new mall”, accessed April 7, 2009 from http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2004/708/feature.htm Bhattacharya, P., “Back to the Future: Urbanization, Globalization and Consumerism”, 2003, accessed April 7, 2009 from http://www.boloji.com/opinion/0051i.htm Bocock, Robert. Consumption. 1993. London: Routeledge, 2001. Collis, D., “The Abuse of Consumerism”, 1999, accessed April 7, 2009 from http://www.zadok.org.au/papers/collis/colliss10114.shtml Delblanco, Andrew. The Real American Dream A Meditation on Hope. U.S: Harvard, 1999. 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