Sexual Dynamics in Jerusalem's Old City Through the Lens of Tourism and Merchants
FUCKING TOURISTS :
SEXUAL RELATIONS AND
TOURISM IN JERUSALEM’S OLD
CITY
by Glenn Bowman
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Jerusalem :
called
the Holy City
, object of
many
conflicts
ever since World War II
between Israel and Palestine,
central and
sacred place for three major religions
:
CatholicIsm, Judaism, and Islam, with major
shrines
•
Old City
: walled area within Jerusalem, in
which are concentrated the main shrines and
monuments, divided into four quarters
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The souvenir shops owned by Palestinian, who
are the main subject of Bowman’s observation,
are located in the Christian quarter, mainly
along the Via Dolorosa ( way of sorrow).
MAP OF THE OLD CITY
CHURCH OF THE
HOLY SEPULCRE
TYPICAL SOUVENIR SHOP
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Tourist market local market :
Similarity of the items sold
Aimed at a tourist clientele
Highly competitive
Arbitrary aspect of decisions taken by tourists
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m
a
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k
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?
•
The street merchants : they rely on their « style of selling » for profit:
Gift of the gab
Flexibility : adapt themselves to the religion, the political affiliations,
and the language ( they can speak up to 5-6 languages) of their
potential customers
Success/ self-estime linked to sales
Important part of their job : seducing foreign women , and
hope that this foreplay will lead to sexual intercourse
It is of the dynamics of these seduction patterns, that
border sometimes on harassment, and the sexual
relationship that sometimes follow, that the author
offers an analysis of.
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Palestinians living in Jerusalem, city
located in Israel : 300 000
Palestinians live in the city
•
YET :
•
1948 : creation of Israel and
recognition by the US and the USSR
•
Ever since, Palestine saw its territory
shrink more and more despite its
resistance (O.L.P) and the help of
other Arab countries
Palestinian persecution and
massacres by Israeli forces /
colonization
Extreme poverty, weak economy
and lack of autonomy
International inaction /US support
to Israel
Palestinian territory from 1920 to 2018
Source :
La Palestine en cartes, citations, faits et
chiffres (Le Monde diplomatique, février 2018)
(monde-diplomatique.fr)
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:
Source :
La Palestine en cartes,
citations, faits et chiffres (Le
Monde diplomatique, février
2018) (monde-diplomatique.fr
)
I
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Well rehearsed seduction methods : often unsucessful
Same scheme that they repeated every day
•
Borders on « obsession »
•
Reasons : « revenge » :
Sexuality as a way to regain control and power in a context where it’s
something they lack of both on a daily basis ( financial instability in a highly
competitive market) and on a larger scheme due to their nationality
“sexual tales relate how the structurally fucked - the victims of a market and of a
map - become the fuckers”
:
d
ichotomy between fucking tourists and being
fucked figuratively speaking by these tourists on a broader picture
R
e
v
e
n
g
e
o
n
w
h
a
t
?
o
Revenge on what these women represent :
wealth, the West, financial and political autonomy
« symbolic displacement » : Minces
o
The sexual act
doesn’t matter in itself but what does is the fact that these men
were able to get what they wanted :
Example of Salim : managed to seduce a married American woman with whom
he had sex.
This case highlights c
olonialist implications :
i
n her studies, Juliette
Minces showed how “the colonially dominated” , here Palestinian street
merchants, feel the desire to seek revenge of the women of the “dominators”.
Yet it is worth mentioning that the merchant’s methods border on harassment :
often gather in youth hostels for hours in the hope of talking to a tourist for
instance
T
e
m
p
o
r
a
r
y
r
e
l
i
e
f
?
•
Sexual intercourse : brief moment where these men are able to have
control and release their frustration that comes from the political,
social and economical context
Key concepts : power, control, superiority and asserting them loud
and clear
Temporary reversal of roles but what about long term ?
Remarks :
•
What about American women ?
link between Israel and the USA
•
What about Israeli women :
don’t consider it worthy as allegedly takes no « effort or skill » to
seduce them
testimonies : in reality, they are the ones who held the reins
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•
Success/ prestige : social status depend on the number of foreign women the street merchants
have sex with
G
reat source of pride
Economic competition amongst the merchants + competition about this
Sexual « exploits » ar
e talked about a great deal in daytime : importance of the narratives (« male
tales » and to appear dominant hence the sexism inherent to it )
Difficulty to find women’s testimonies so we only have one part of the story : why did the
women agree to it ?
The few that the author was able to gather shows that they sometimes choose one merchant so
that the other would leave them alone : arbitrary aspect
•
“Sexual capital” : women seen as tokens, that they accumulate to create capital
•
Leisure time : even after their work hours, still discussion about it +
meeting with these foreign women
•
Masculinity : way to assert their masculinity :
“Manioc”
•
Marriage : late marriage because of these practices
Lots of street merchants aren’t married by the age of 35, which
creates an inbalance with Palestinian women
•
Deep attachment to it
B
I
B
L
I
O
G
R
A
P
H
Y
:
•
Manière de voir
- « Palestine Un peuple, une colonisation » - numéro 157,
février - mars 2018, 100 pages
•
Bickerton, Ian J. , Albright, William Foxwell , Kenyon, Kathleen Mary , Bugh,
Glenn Richard , Faris, Nabih Amin , Khalidi, Rashid Ismail , Fraser, Peter
Marshall , Brice, William Charles , Khalidi, Walid Ahmed and Jones, Arnold
Hugh Martin. "Palestine". Encyclopedia Britannica, 13 Aug. 2021,
https://www.britannica.com/place/Palestine. Accessed 13 December 2021
.
•
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This study delves into the intersection of tourism and sexual relations in Jerusalem's Old City, focusing on Palestinian street merchants and their interactions with tourist women. The author examines the peculiar market dynamics, where profit is tied to seduction, often blurring lines between sales tactics and harassment. The analysis sheds light on the complexities of these relationships and the socio-political context in which they unfold.
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Presentation Transcript
FUCKING TOURISTS : SEXUAL RELATIONS AND TOURISM IN JERUSALEM S OLD CITY by Glenn Bowman
THE SETTINGS : THE SETTINGS : JERUSALEM AND ITS JERUSALEM AND ITS OLD CITY : OLD CITY : Jerusalem : called the Holy City, object of many conflicts ever since World War II between Israel and Palestine, central and sacred place for three major religions : CatholicIsm, Judaism, and Islam, with major shrines Old City : walled area within Jerusalem, in which are concentrated the main shrines and monuments, divided into four quarters
TYPICAL SOUVENIR SHOP MAP OF THE OLD CITY The souvenir shops owned by Palestinian, who are the main subject of Bowman s observation, are located in the Christian quarter, mainly along the Via Dolorosa ( way of sorrow). THE CHRISTIAN THE CHRISTIAN QUARTER AND THE QUARTER AND THE SOUVENIR SHOPS SOUVENIR SHOPS CHURCH OF THE HOLY SEPULCRE
I I- - The The market market place, and the and the peculiarity peculiarity of Tourist market local market : Similarity of the items sold Aimed at a tourist clientele Highly competitive Arbitrary aspect of decisions taken by tourists place, its its caracteristics caracteristics, , its of their their conditions conditions its sellers sellers
How to How to succeed succeed in in this this market market ? ? The street merchants : they rely on their style of selling for profit: Gift of the gab Flexibility : adapt themselves to the religion, the political affiliations, and the language ( they can speak up to 5-6 languages) of their potential customers Success/ self-estime linked to sales Important part of their job : seducing foreign women , and hope that this foreplay will lead to sexual intercourse It is of the dynamics of these seduction patterns, that border sometimes on harassment, and the sexual relationship that sometimes follow, that the author offers an analysis of.
PALESTINIAN STREET MERCHANTS AND PALESTINIAN STREET MERCHANTS AND TOURISTS WOMEN TOURISTS WOMEN Palestinian street merchants : Tourists women : - Westerners - Economically priviledged / financial stability - From the East - Economic instability - Politically advantaged - Political oppression - Unforeseebility of the future MARKET PLACE : place of interaction between the two
TO UNDERSTAND THE TO UNDERSTAND THE SITUATION OF THESE SITUATION OF THESE PALESTINIAN STREET PALESTINIAN STREET MERCHANTS MERCHANTS Palestinian territory from 1920 to 2018 Palestinians living in Jerusalem, city located in Israel : 300 000 Palestinians live in the city YET : 1948 : creation of Israel and recognition by the US and the USSR Ever since, Palestine saw its territory shrink more and more despite its resistance (O.L.P) and the help of other Arab countries Palestinian persecution and massacres by Israeli forces / colonization Extreme poverty, weak economy and lack of autonomy International inaction /US support to Israel Source : La Palestine en cartes, citations, faits et chiffres (Le Monde diplomatique, f vrier 2018) (monde-diplomatique.fr)
Statistics Statistics about the about the Arab Arab population in population in Jerusalem : Jerusalem : Source : La Palestine en cartes, citations, faits et chiffres (Le Monde diplomatique, f vrier 2018) (monde-diplomatique.fr)
II II- - Metaphoric Metaphoric sexuality foreign foreign women women, and sexuality : , and their their symbolic : sex sex and symbolic meaning and seduction seduction with meaning with Well rehearsed seduction methods : often unsucessful Same scheme that they repeated every day Borders on obsession Reasons : revenge : Sexuality as a way to regain control and power in a context where it s something they lack of both on a daily basis ( financial instability in a highly competitive market) and on a larger scheme due to their nationality sexual tales relate how the structurally fucked - the victims of a market and of a map - become the fuckers : dichotomy between fucking tourists and being fucked figuratively speaking by these tourists on a broader picture
Revenge on Revenge on what what ? ? o Revenge on what these women represent : wealth, the West, financial and political autonomy symbolic displacement : Minces oThe sexual act doesn t matter in itself but what does is the fact that these men were able to get what they wanted : Example of Salim : managed to seduce a married American woman with whom he had sex. This case highlights colonialist implications : in her studies, Juliette Minces showed how the colonially dominated , here Palestinian street merchants, feel the desire to seek revenge of the women of the dominators . Yet it is worth mentioning that the merchant s methods border on harassment : often gather in youth hostels for hours in the hope of talking to a tourist for instance
Temporary Temporary relief ? relief ? Sexual intercourse : brief moment where these men are able to have control and release their frustration that comes from the political, social and economical context Key concepts : power, control, superiority and asserting them loud and clear Temporary reversal of roles but what about long term ?
Remarks : What about American women ? link between Israel and the USA What about Israeli women : don t consider it worthy as allegedly takes no effort or skill to seduce them testimonies : in reality, they are the ones who held the reins
III III- - Impact for the street merchants : to what extent do these practices define their lives ? Success/ prestige : social status depend on the number of foreign women the street merchants have sex with Great source of pride Economic competition amongst the merchants + competition about this Sexual exploits are talked about a great deal in daytime : importance of the narratives ( male tales and to appear dominant hence the sexism inherent to it ) Difficulty to find women s testimonies so we only have one part of the story : why did the women agree to it ? The few that the author was able to gather shows that they sometimes choose one merchant so that the other would leave them alone : arbitrary aspect Sexual capital : women seen as tokens, that they accumulate to create capital
Leisure time : even after their work hours, still discussion about it + meeting with these foreign women Masculinity : way to assert their masculinity : Manioc Marriage : late marriage because of these practices Lots of street merchants aren t married by the age of 35, which creates an inbalance with Palestinian women Deep attachment to it
BIBLIOGRAPHY : BIBLIOGRAPHY : Mani re de voir - Palestine Un peuple, une colonisation - num ro 157, f vrier - mars 2018, 100 pages Bickerton, Ian J. , Albright, William Foxwell , Kenyon, Kathleen Mary , Bugh, Glenn Richard , Faris, Nabih Amin , Khalidi, Rashid Ismail , Fraser, Peter Marshall , Brice, William Charles , Khalidi, Walid Ahmed and Jones, Arnold Hugh Martin. "Palestine". Encyclopedia Britannica, 13 Aug. 2021, https://www.britannica.com/place/Palestine. Accessed 13 December 2021. Christophe P RY, ISRA LO-ARABE CONFLIT - (rep res chronologiques) , Encyclop dia Universalis [en ligne], consult le 13 d cembre 2021. URL : http://www.universalis- edu.com/encyclopedie/israelo-arabe-reperes-chronologiques/
