Societal Cultural Norms and Values in Sociology — Cultural Norms and Values: A Beginner's Guide to How Sociology Reads Them
Folkways, mores and values, explained with everyday examples from the region and beyond.
Society & Culture
Cities, education, arts and everyday life from the Maghreb to the Gulf.
Society Culture and Religion Sufism: How Sufism Shaped Art, Music and Society Across the Muslim World
From Basra's early ascetics to Rumi's verse and the whirling dervishes, the mystical strand of Islam left a mark on poetry, music and community life from North Africa to South Asia.
Society Culture and Social Change — How Societies Change: The Mechanics of Social Shifts
Technology, surplus, and conflict reshape values over generations. The pattern runs from the first farms to the Gulf's newest cities.
How Ramadan changes working hours across MENA
In the Gulf, labor law cuts the working day for fasting employees by two hours; across the region, schools shorten schedules and public offices compress the week. A country-by-country guide to the practical month.
Is the kafala system still in force in the Gulf? Here is what changed
The sponsorship system that tied migrant workers to employers has been substantially reformed in Qatar and Saudi Arabia since 2020: notice-based job changes, exit-permit abolition and the Gulf's first minimum wage. Where kafala still holds.
What is Yennayer? The Amazigh New Year, explained
North Africa's Amazigh New Year falls between January 12 and 14: Algeria has marked January 12 as a public holiday since 2018, Morocco added January 14 in 2023. What is celebrated, and why the dates differ.