Morocco and Other Cities as Important Spaces to Practice Consumption and Construct Identity - Literature review Example

Cities, Consumption and Construct identity: Morocco Name of the Student: Name of the Instructor: Name of the course: Code of the course: Submission date: Cities are important spaces to practice consumption and/or construct identity. Discuss with referenceto consumption of populations/identities linked place Introduction It has been pointed out that consumption has emerged as a major theme in the modern debates both in the humanities as well as in the social sciences. As a result, every issue in the society seems to have an association with the ability to consume. This can be viewed as a reflection of the wider process under which the very basic nature of our society seems to be implanted with consumer ethics (Miles & Miles, 2004, p. 2). Similarly, consumption has been perceived as being ideological. This is founded on the fact that consumption plays a central role in the maintenance of social relationships between people and their physical environment. This aspect is evident in the cities or urban centers which have been viewed as spaces to practice consumption or construct of identity. This fact is supported by Zukin (1998, p. 825) who determined that attention in the lifestyle in the urban areas has generated new and highly visible consumption spaces. These are epitomized by boutiques, coffee bars, art galleries, cuisine restaurants and nouvelle. This has in turn generated new and sophisticated retail strategies combining, sales, advertisement and entertainment as well as real estate development. This has shaped the construction of identity in the metropolitan spaces. Against this backdrop, this paper will focus on interrogating the assumption that cities are important spaces to practice consumption and/or construct identity. This will be discussed with reference to consumption of populations/identities linked to place with the case study being Morocco which has seen several campaigns trying to sell Morocco as a place to experience the Orient. Thus, the city in this country through its architecture and activities present to the tourists and invites them to consume it in such a way. Consumption/construct identity in cities In a generic sense, a city cannot be simplistically perceived as one great mass of people but instead, it entails diverse groupings of collectives and individual persons. Thus, each city has its own distinct characteristics which emanate from peculiar demographic profiles of the members of the populations inhabiting the city. In addition, it has been cited that the social structure of cities is not characterized by constant stability but instead endowed with extensive dynamism which can be attributed to the historical, cultural, political, economic and environmental factors. Generally speaking, it can be increasingly easy to forget in founding an understanding of consumption in the post-modern epoch that there are considerable linkages which are historical in nature between the cities and consumption. This is robustly based at the core of modernity as pointed out by Miles and Paddison (1998) in their work Urban consumption: An historiographical note. However, Miles (2010, p. 1) determined that the cities in the contemporary world are both where and what we consume. In this regard, the cities have been regarded as nothing more than a space for consumption in which diverse members of the population in the metropolitan spaces seemingly express themselves as citizens of a consumer society. In this regard, consumption lies at the heart of the modern city and as such, the consumption spaces lie at the core of what it denotes to be a citizen of the metropolitan society that people inhabit. Miles (2010, p. 1) also noted that the cities in the contemporary world seem to be going through a transformational epoch which can be perceived second in terms of scale to the inception of industrialization. Thus, it would not be a far-fetched notion to put forth the fact that in this latest incarnation, the city can be viewed as being less a place for and of the people and more a unit for the effective expansion of consumption. In this regard, the shopping malls, museums, design apartments, sports media, casinos, cinema complexes, art galleries, theme parks and public spaces of consumption afford us with a mirror of ourselves or to say the least, a mirror of a society that has evidently shaped the determination of what we are. This brings in the concept of construct identity which is associated with the development of diverse cities around the world. Similarly, while most urban consumption still involves satisfaction of the recurrent needs on everyday basis, many of the new spaces of urban consumption have a direct linkage to the new patterns of leisure, culture and travel (Zukin, 1998, p. 825). It can be argued that the new urban consumption spaces have indeed influenced the advertisement efforts by different companies in their urban centers who tend to relate their products with the emerging patterns of leisure, adventure and travel. The above fact is evidenced in the Louis Vuitton Core Values Campaign by Louis Vuitton Company in the advert featuring Catherine Deneuve. This advert rotates around this influential and successful woman in a big city, with her urban stylish, yet practical coat and shoes. In this metaphorical representation, this successful woman has extensively travelled the world and ends coming back to her city to where she perceives as home. In all her endeavors, she is accompanied by these elegant bags, an undertaking which she does with style. Thus, just like Deneuve, these bags do the job with diligence, and always looking pretty and chic. This is bound to inform the purchasing behavior of the travelling bags from Louis Vuitton by most ladies in the urban areas who are in pursuit for success. Thus, their consumption of these products will be as a result of the close association between these high class, elegant and highly successful individuals (like Deneuve) with these travelling bags which are stylish and glamorous. In this case, consumption can be perceived as the selection, purchase, utility, maintenance, repair and disposal of any product or service (Miles & Paddison, 1998, p. 815). This is just an example of how the cities have evolved into becoming important spaces to practice consumption and/construct identity based on the representation that is portrayed to in the society which live there. This is founded on the fact that representations are paramount in influencing the ways in which we imagine and know the city (Stevenson, 2003, p. 10). From another dimension, it is imperative to point out that different cities around the globe have engaged in extensive efforts to re-brand themselves aimed at creating or constructing a unique identity which differentiates them either from the rural set-ups or from other metropolitan areas in other regions of the world. This fact is supported by Kavaratzis and Ashworth (2005, p. 506) who determined that diverse places have for a long time felt the necessity to differentiate themselves from each other. This is aimed at self-assertion of their distinct individuality in the pursuit of different socio-psychological, political or economic objectives. Despite the scarcity of literature related to city branding aimed at construct identity in the recent years, Hankinson (2001, p. 129) cited that this is a contrast to the heightening evidence in the media which points to the fact that the concept of branding has seen elevated applicability in diverse locations, mostly in the metropolitan areas. This is aimed at influencing not only the consumption patterns in these cities but also in construction of identity in different localities where this strategy has been put into utility. This has in turn influenced the lifestyles, consumption models as well as the identity in the cities. This is fortified by Zukin (1998, p. 825) who cited that these transformations in the symbolic and material fabric of the contemporary cities tend to make alterations on the previously held conceptions about consumption as a residue group of the political economy in the urban areas. In this regard, the cities are no longer viewed as landscapes of production but instead as landscapes of consumption. Consumption and construct identity in Moroccan cities; effect of the Orient on tourism consumption It is imperative to note that the Moroccan Kingdom is predominantly Arabic and located on the extreme North-western corner of the African continent. The primary economic activities in this country are industrial and agricultural based. This is founded on the unique nature of Morocco whereby unlike most countries in the Arab world, this country is endowed with extensive oil and gas resources. The inability of the aforementioned sectors in solving the critical socio-economic problems in Morocco has seen increased efforts to promote tourism which is perceived as a future economic sector that can positively impact on the country’s economic stability. One of these efforts is epitomized by the nine-year program which was instigated in January 2001 by King Mohammed VI which aimed at elevating the number of tourists in this country to 10 million by the end of the previous decade (Rachidi et. al, 2006, p. 3-5). Recent years have seen increased utility of the orient in diverse campaigns aimed at increasing the level of tourism consumption in this country. In this context, orient can be defined as a place which is isolated from the mainstream human progress in the arts, science and commerce (Said, 1978, p. 206). The concept of orientalism is extensively explored in the work by Edward Said (1978), Orientalism Penguin. In this book, the author made three major claims which form the foundation of his theories on this discourse in academia. Firstly, Said asserted that ‘orientalism, although alleging to be disinterested and non-subjective, and rather esoteric realm, as a matter of fact functioned with the sole aim of serving political ends. In this regard, orientalism scholarship afforded a means through which the Europeans could have a chance to take over oriental lands’ (Said, 1978, p. 96). In the second claim, Said asserted that orientalism was key in aiding in the definition of the self-image of Europe. According to Said, this construction of identity in every era and each society entails the establishment of opposites and ‘others’. As a result, orientalism led the Western world to perceive the Islamic culture as being ‘external, uniform and incapable of defining itself’ and static in both place and time which can be attributed to giving Europe a misguided sense of intellectual and cultural superiority (Said, 1978, p. 208). Lastly, Said argued that orientalism has been credited for generating a false description of the people from the Arabic descent as well as the Islamic culture. The occurrence of this phenomenon has been credited primarily to the essentialist nature of the enterprise; the belief that there is a possibility in defining the essential qualities of the Islamic culture and the Arab people. It is imperative to note that these qualities were perceived in uniformly negative connotations (Windschuttle, 1999, p. 3). These claims are validated by the assertion by Archer (2010, p.74) who determined that the Arab world which had been engaged in long and extensive oppositions against the Christian Europe and subsequent Muslim conquest of Spain was described negatively in Europe. This is whereby it was cited as an alien world which was characterized by fanatical violence, exotic mystery and oppression. This orientalism which was for long presented as a representation of the cultures in the Arabic world by the Western scholars and artists clearly captivated the audience in Europe for a long time. The Moroccans have thus used the same principle in increasing consumption of their tourism in the recent times. All these claims as proposed by Said are evident in the efforts by Morocco to increase the consumption of its tourism aimed at achieving the objectives previously mentioned. Morocco has initiated massive campaigns to portray the country as an orient aimed at increasing the number of tourists consuming its wide alley of museums, art galleries among other sites. This is epitomized in the advertisement by Eddie’s Travelwhich invites tourists to enter into the ‘world of mystery’. This is whereby it presents the entry into Morocco as an initiation into the magic of Arabic, Islam and African world of medinas, desert and mountains, minarets and still maintains a European patina. This is synergy of tourist attraction features is exemplified by Fez which is a spectacular array of medieval buildings, Casablanca which is a flourishing commercial center and the marketplace of Marrakech which is globally renowned for selling perplexing alley of goods among other places. Thus, whether a tourist is bargaining for exotic artifacts, visiting ancient wonders or scaling distant ridges, Morocco is bound to captivate tourists from all over the world (Eddie’s Travel, 2013, p. 1). At the very essence, this advert and pictures of the cities and other historical features in Morocco are bound to increase the consumption of tourism in this country. The following picture just portrays Morocco as an orient. Figure 1.0: Tourist sites in Morocco Source: Eddie’s Travel, 2013, p. 1 The portrayal of Morocco from this perspective as an orient to the tourists is bound to increase the consumption of the tourism services in this country. The work by Said (1978) robustly underpins this strategy which is aimed at enabling the tourists in this region to have an increased understanding of the Arab people and the wider Islamic culture. This is epitomized by the medieval sites and shopping malls in the above pictures which serve the purpose of exposing the evolution of the Islamic culture to the tourists who visit these places. This strategy is definitely bound to increase the consumption of tourism in Morocco. In addition, the portrayal of Morocco as an orient is also bound to fortify the concept of authenticity of the Moroccan activities, art, cultural artifacts and dishes among others. In this context, authenticity is viewed to have been attained when an object or a custom is perceived as being the legitimate or genuine representation which is fundamental to the description of the culture. This is in most cases associated with the representations of culture and traditional items in a particular place (Archer, 2010, p. 69). The above reality of authenticity is exemplified by the Moroccan cuisine. This is whereby Archer (2010, p. 69) cited that couscous is perhaps the most important dish in Morocco. This is comprised of a wheat grain staple which is usually steamed and eaten with vegetable and meat. This meal, apart from being a tasty foreign food to the tourists, it also holds a distinct symbolic significance in the culture of the Moroccans and is usually a family meal which is often served on Fridays as well as in special occasions. The above reality brings into perspective the importance of portraying Morocco as an Orient. In this regard, the tourists can visit this country, have a chance to interact with the Islamic cultures which is predominant in this region as well as enjoy some of the activities and delicacies which have a cultural significance to the inhabits of this region. Thus, this serves as a major strategy of increasing the consumption of tourism in Morocco, both in the urban as well as in the rural areas. In addition, it is imperative to note that based on the third claim by Said (1978) which credited orientalism as being central in generating a false description of the people from the Arabic descent as well as the Islamic culture, the presentation of Morocco as an Orient in the tourism promoting adverts triggers an curiosity and interest among the tourists to go to Morocco and actually get a real experience of the Islamic culture and interact with the people from the Arabic descent. This is imperative in understanding their lifestyle, religious beliefs, cultural artifacts and exploring their civilization which has evolved overtime. Thus, the presentation of Morocco as an orient is thus imperative in increasing the consumption of tourism in the country, mostly in the cities where majority of the art galleries, museums and design apartments are situated. As these tourists visit these cities in their efforts to have these authentic experiences, they also consume services from supporting industries like hotels, bars, casinos and guest rooms which have the overall impact of placing the Moroccan cities as important sources of elevating consumption in these cities. In addition, these restaurants and bars are also themed in an oriental Arabic way, that is the hotels and spas offer Arabian atmosphere and classic Arabian Baths “Hammams” Another fundamental aspect of orientalism in Morocco which has tended to increase the consumption of tourism in this country is the art about Morocco. This is mostly from the extensive images of Morocco by Delacroix which are considered authentic in the contemporary times. This is founded on the fact that they were extensively inspired by the journey of this artist to North Africa in 1832. One of the images of Morocco with the subject of Women of Algiers in their Apartment probably best captures the prospects of the Arabic culture in diverse dimensions. The details in this picture are probably accepted as being authentic and traditional based on the costumes, hookah and carpets which were authentic before the Western presumptions about the Arab culture. Thus, the images by Delacroix advanced the western visualizations of the orient based on their authenticating details as well as rich subject matter (Archer, 2010, p. 71). Majority of these pictures done by Delacroix so many years ago are still evident in Morocco and still others from local artists portraying the traditional subjects and scenes, majority of which are after the renowned paintings by Delacroix are usually apparent in Moroccan households and restaurants. These provide the tourists with a chance to purchase some of these traditional products which are perceived as being authentic which are broadly based on the Delacroix inspired images of Morocco and the wider Arab world (Archer, 2010, p. 72). The following work of art is just an example of the diverse works by Delacroix which have helped in placing Morocco as a central orient and promoting the consumption of tourism in this region. Figure 1.1: Eugene Delacroix; Women of Algiers in their apartment, 1834. Source: Archer, 2010, p. 72 Thus, the presentation of Morocco as an Orient has played a central role in increasing the number of tourists in this country of the past years. This is founded on the fact that has created an identity of the cities in Morocco as being centers of authentic tourist attraction sites which have achieved a growth in popularity over the years. As a result, the level of consumption in these cities has increased, placing them as important spaces of consumption and construct identity. In addition, it is imperative to note that the development and growth of infrastructure like hotels, restaurants and bars among others mostly in the cities which are based on the Islamic culture have also helped to promote Morocco as an orient among the tourists. Consequently, consumption in these cities has improved in the past decade and is projected to increase in the future. Nonetheless, some challenges to the Moroccan government in relation to increased consumption in the cities as a result of elevated tourism activities have been expressed. These include but not limited to the issues of probable negative social impacts of tourism on the Moroccan cities, for instance, sexual tourism, increased insecurity as well as pessimism among members of the Moroccan population over the ability of the government to achieve its tourism objectives. Conclusion From the preceding analysis, it is apparent that consumption has emerged as a major theme in the modern debates both in the humanities as well as in the social science. This is mostly related to the consumption in the cities which has played a great role in placing the cities as fundamental spaces of consumption and construct identity. This phenomenon is evident among cities in Morocco which have been influenced by the theories of orientalism as developed by Said (1978). As a result, the presentation of Morocco as an orient has been central in increasing the level of tourism among Moroccan cities which has placed them at the center spaces of consumption and construct identity. References Archer, I., 2010, ‘(Re)Envisioning Orientalist North Africa: Exploring Representations of Maghrebian Identities in Oriental and Occidental Art, Museums, and Markets’, Intersections, Vol. 11, No. 2, pp. 67-107. Eddie’s Travel, 2013, ‘Morocco: Magic of the Orient’, retrieved 18th January 2013, < http://www.koshertravelers.com/tours/magic_of_morocco/morocco2013.pdf>. Hankinson, G., 2001, ‘Location Branding: A Study of the Branding Practices of 12 English Cities’, Journal of Brand Management, Vol. 9, pp. 127–142. Kavaratzis, M. &Ashworth, GJ., 2005, ‘City branding: An effective assertion of identity or a transitory marketing trick?’, Journal of Royal Dutch Geographical Society, Vol. 1, pp. 506-514. Miles, S., 2010, Spaces for Consumption, SAGE Publication Inc., London. Miles S., & Miles, M., 2004, Consuming Cities, Palgrave Macmillan, New York. Miles, S., & Paddison, R.,1998, ‘Urban Consumption: An Historiographical Note.’, Urban Studies, Vol. 35, No., 5-6, pp. 815-823. Rachidi, FE., et. al, 2006, ‘Tourism in Morocco: The challenge to attract 10 million foreign visitors by 2010’, retrieved 18th January 2013, . Said, E., 1978, Orientalism: Western Conceptions of the Orient, Penguin, London. Stevenson, D.,2003, Cities and Urban Cultures, Open University Press, Buckingham. Windschuttle, K., 1999, ‘Edward Said’s “Orientalism revisited”, retrieved 18th January 2013, < http://www.unibas-ethno.ch/redakteure/foerster/dokumente/h20071022-1.pdf>. Zukin, S., 1998, ‘Urban Lifestyles: Diversity and Standardisation in Spaces of Consumption’ , Urban Studies, Vol. 35, No. 5-6, pp. 825-39. Read More