The Private Space

     I’ve spent the past few weeks trying to understand what exactly it was about our lectures on space, gender, and religion in Morocco that shifted my understanding of those three entities. First, I had thought it was the idea of the private space as the women’s space. But then the popular phrase, “a woman’s place is in the home” kept coming to mind and made me question whether or not the public and private space difference was really a new concept for me or just a familiar idea given a different name. But there was something pivotal in that lecture that must have made the concept of private vs. public space stick out to me. Finally, I figured it out: it was the reframing of the phrase, “a woman’s place traditionally is in the home” to “the private space is traditionally the women dominated space.” For me, this shifted the idea of the private space to “this is where the woman is in charge.”

Courtyard inside Doha’s house. Considered the private space, traditionally this was seen as the women’s space.

For me it reframed the assumption that I think many people in the west have toward women in the Islamic world, that they are seen as inferior to men. However, framing the concepts of public space and private space in a way that they are culturally seen as spaces of equal importance and equal dominance, rather than one being superior over the other, changed this assumption for me.

Walking around Mohammad V street in Rabat Medina near our hotel. Considered the public space, this is traditionally where one would see mainly men. I didn’t have any good photos of this street, but I was able to find this one at http://media.gettyimages.com. 

                

     Of course, typing this now is sending me spiraling to even more questions: Who decided that the public space was for men and the private space was for women? Did women have a say in this decision? Is this distinction really as simple as it sounds? How do women feel about this? Do they like this separation? What about now that more women are moving into the public space? But, regardless, I think the take away from that lecture is the important part: sometimes we look at a culture through the wrong frame and, to us, it looks distorted. A simple shift in your frame can change your perspective. Suddenly, that culture or practice that you didn’t understand makes sense. A simple shift in perspective, or changing your frame can make all the difference!

I’m not sure how I ended up with this picture, but I think this is my and Katie’s host mom and sister walking us home in the rain! Thank you whoever took it! Now, in Morocco, the traditional ideas of public and private space are starting to blur as more and more women are seen in the public space.