Aesthetics & ritual in the United Arab Emirates : the anthropology of food & personal adornment among Arabian women / Aida Sami Kanafani

CONTENTS: -- Preface -- 1. The anthropology of aesthetic experience -- 2. Food Rituals: General -- 3. Food Rituals: The Tactile Experience -- 4. Food Rituals: The Olfactory and Gustatory Experience -- 5. Body Rituals: The Olfactory Experience -- 6. Body Rituals: The Visual Experience -- 7. Body Rituals: The MAsk -- 8. Body rituals and aesthetic purification -- 9. Aesthetic significance of food and body rituals -- 10. Islam, rites of hospitality and aesthetics -- Conclusion -- Appendix I: Aesthetics of the Mask -- Appendix II: Food Utensils -- Notes -- References

This book deals with the anthropology of food and body rituals among women in the United Arab Emirates. The author shows that the pattern of aesthetic experience is governed by the interaction of cultural and religious norms which shape the characteristic social rituals of purification, hospitality and personal adornment which facilitate communication and integration among individuals. The underlying symbolism, psychology and philosophy of something as well known in Arabian hospitality is revealed by combining anthropological and historical approaches to the study of popular culture. Individual chapters deal with the sensory experience of food preparation, presentation and consumption in traditionally accepted Arabian and Islamic patterns of behavior in UAE cooking. Spices, culinary traditions, face veils, jewellery, henna, kohl and indigo are also discussed. Aida Sami Kanafani is a Lebanese writer, who received her BA and Maitrise in sociology from Lebanese University , and PhD in in anthropology from UoT Austin in 1979. During 1977-78 she conducted fieldwork in the UAE for her PhD dissertation.

English