Social Status: A New Approach

    

 One of the most exciting activities of the program so far was the time spent in the Merzouga. I have always wanted to experience the silky smooth dunes of the Sahara Desert in person; a sight I had only previously encountered via elegant desktop wallpapers. Although the images of the Sahara are beautiful to the novice eye, they do not capture the beauty that I witnessed in person. After seeing the sunrise over the majestic dunes at dawn, we ventured toward Ouarzazate. We stopped along the plains where a group of nomadic people were settled not far from the dunes; the Blue Men of the Sahara Desert (Tooplate & Mtg, 2022). In the U.S., a settlement resembling that of these nomads might be referred to as a camp for people experiencing homelessness. While the people we interacted with outside of Merzouga did not have a specific location to call home, I would not equate their way of living as an existence defined by being without or having less than. 

Social status has been defined as “the relative rank that an individual holds, with attendant rights, duties, and lifestyle, in a social hierarchy based upon honour or prestige” (Encyclopædia Britannica). I think of social status as a measure of where an individual or group of individuals are situated in their respective social hierarchies based on resources, knowledge, and power. Culture and language can often determine where a group of people rank in their respective societies. Some variations of the Arabic language are considered more prestigious than others. These perceptions are influenced by urbanization, globalization, and changing power dynamics (Theodoropoulou, 2017). Taking this, those who don’t adhere to the traditions or languages that are deemed prestigious may be ranked lower in the social hierarchy. In the case of the Blue Men of the Sahara Desert, the traditions and language they followed differed drastically from that of people in the urban areas we visited. 

The Blue Men of the Sahara Desert are a Berber nomadic ethnic group indigenous to Morocco. Also referred to as Tuaregs, these nomads live in some of the harshest conditions of the Sahara desert (Tooplate & Mtg, 2022). We stopped to visit a settlement where we met a family consisting of a man and woman who were married one child, an elderly woman, and their small herd of livestock. At first glance, I thought their way of living was harsh and questioned why someone would choose to live this way. After sitting with the patriarch of the family and having mint tea, it became clearer to me that there was beauty in their approach to life. I had to think beyond the nature of my Western existence to consider what these nomads had versus what they didn’t have. My understanding of their social status was influenced by the value I placed on their culture, language, and way of life. While it may not be wise to ignore these impacts completely, it is worth questioning what your unconscious biases may be when assessing the social status of people in familiar and unfamiliar social contexts. 

References

Encyclopædia Britannica, inc. (n.d.). Social Status. Encyclopædia Britannica. 

https://www.britannica.com/topic/social-status 

Theodoropoulou, I. (2017). Social status, language, and society in the Arab World 1. The 

Routledge handbook of Arabic linguistics, 371-386.

Tooplate, & Mtg. (2022, February 16). The Blue Men of Sahara Desert, all you need to know . 

Marrakeh tour guide. 

https://www.marrakechtourguide.com/blog/the-blue-men-of-sahara-desert-all-you-need-t

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