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Tunisia
Culture & History
WARNING: Tunisia is currently
unstable, please read this travel warning
before going!
Personality, Culture, & Identity
Tunisia has, in many ways, always been a bridge between
Africa and Europe as they were
historically skilled traders and sailors and in more recent history were the object
of affection of numerous European powers. When the Phoenicians sailed the Mediterranean
and founded the settlement of Carthage they surely had their choice of location,
but chose the region of modern day Tunisia. Likewise, during European colonization
of the 1800s the Brits, Italians,
and French fought for control over the region and this
came after the Turks and Spanish fought over the same
land.
These European influences along with
Turkish rule and the earlier Arab invasion have created Tunisia
as it is today. There are aspects of Europeans and Arabs everywhere in Tunisia despite
its small size. This past has keep Tunisia in contact with Europe, but also divided
peoples and opinions as a result of these influences. While these differences do
separate the people, their history has also taught them to cope with differences
and communicate with others, making arguments more political than military in nature.
Many Tunisians view themselves as "Tunisian,"
but few people will agree with what that means as the country seems to be undergoing
an identity crisis. There has been a separation of religion from politics, but many
people view this as a bad thing; additionally, a growing number of youths seek economic
freedoms and a desire to focus on this over politics or religion. Due to this, many
locals are trying to force their definition of being "Tunisian" on others
by trying to alter the government since the "Tunisian" identity is nationally,
not ethnically defined. This has led to political disruptions and disagreements,
while many minority groups, particularly the Berbers only see themselves as Berber
and seek political stability more than a cultural and political definition to match
their identity.
History
The people of modern day Tunisia are the descendents
of the Berbers and dozens of other ethnic peoples. Being located on the Mediterranean
Sea coast, the seaside was occupied by the Phoenicians who established the city
and empire of Carthage, which was located near modern day Tunis.
With the fall of Carthage and their leader, Hannibal in 146 BC, came the invasion
of the Romans into the region. After a failed attempt, the Romans finally established
a base in Tunisia in about the year 0. For the next few hundred years, the Romans
ruled the coasts and region, but little changed for many of the Berbers who lived
in the countryside and mountains.
In the 600s the Arabs overran much of North Africa,
reaching Tunisia and converting many of the people to
Islam. Despite the Berbers' conversion to Islam, the Berbers and Arabs maintained
two separate ethnicities as they rarely intermarried. Despite this Arab control,
little of the Arab influence reached the Berbers other than their conversion to
Islam.
In the 1100s the Berber majority took control over much of the more influential,
but minority Arab population. From this point until the 1500s the Berbers essentially
ruled themselves, although there was no true unified rule over the entire modern
day country.
The 1500s brought in new leadership in what is today Tunisia
when the Ottoman Turks and Spanish arrived. These two
foreign groups started fighting for power in the region. The Ottomans soon realized
that the most effective way to control the North African
coast was to allow their merchants and seafarers to pirate the coast. The North
African coast, also known as the Barbary Coast became protected by these Ottoman
Turks who ravaged passing ships and demanded money for safe passage.
As these pirates became more and more powerful, the Ottomans granted some of these
pirates power over the coastal lands as well. Perhaps the most famous of these ruling
pirates was Khair ad Din, also known as "Barbarossa" or "Red Beard."
Barbarossa ruled over Algiers and at times ruled over parts of modern day
Tunisia. He, along with other Ottoman pirates encouraged the
Turkish language and culture on the people as Arabic and Berber were
suppressed.
After centuries of successful control over the Barbary Coast, the Ottoman
Turks began to lose power and control in the early 1800s. During this time
the French, Italians, and
Brits all got involved in Tunisia as each tried
to control the region to varying degrees, while expelling the Ottoman pirates. In
the 1860s the French took over Tunisia as there were border disputes with neighboring
Algeria, which was already French controlled.
The French takeover of Tunisia
led to hostilities both in Europe and in Tunisia as both
the French and Italians wished to control the region. Meanwhile,
the local people began independence movements, which pinnacled in the 1920s. Despite
these movements, World War II (WWII) was about to break out and Tunisia found itself
as a battleground. To the west stands Algeria, which
was French controlled, while to the west is Libya, which
was Italian controlled. Additionally, Tunisia was home to both Italians and French
so as France fought both Italy and Germany in WWII, Tunisia
became the centerline for WWII's North African fronts. After being taken by
the Germans, then retaken by the French and Allied troops, Tunisia was overrun and
destroyed.
Once the war had ended, independence movements in Tunisia
again arose in the 1950s. The French were hesitant to
grant Tunisia independence since many French had settled in the country and the
French government feared their future. After much debate, Tunisia was granted independence
in the mid-1950s. As Tunisia tried to gain favor with Europe,
they still battled Algeria over border issues and communicated
with Israel during Israeli-Arab wars, turning them off to most of the Arab world.
In the 1980s the Tunisians improved relations with both
the Arab world and Europe, but at the same time their
economy struggled. This led to an overthrow of the government and a new, perhaps
more suppressive government, that separated mosque and state, which was argued by
some and this government repealed other social and political freedoms.
In 2010 and 2011 protests again erupted in Tunisia, eventually
leading to the overthrow of their president. Despite this overthrow, the current
government continues to be run by the former president's supporters, so it is
questionable whether any permanent change will take place.
Dress & Behavior
As a primarily Muslim country, there are a number of religious laws which should
be obeyed by everyone in Tunisia, including tourists.
It is considered inappropriate for women to leave their hair uncovered, however
this has almost entirely changed in Tunisia, especially
among foreigners. Women covering their heads will show great respect to their culture,
however most Tunisians understand if you don't cover your hair.
Both women and men are expected to cover their legs and shoulders; showing your
knees can be offensive. 3/4 length pants, like Capris and short sleeve shirts are
only looked down upon by strict Muslims, however wearing full length pants and long
sleeves at all times is the best course of action. Staying at a seaside resort often
times allows these rules to be ignored, but follow the example of locals in these
places.
Islamic law forbids pork products and alcohol. Being a fairly liberal Muslim country,
drinking alcohol is not completely unheard of by the locals, but public drinking
or intoxication is strictly forbidden. Pork products are difficult to find in Tunisia since there is little market for pork. Avoiding
these foods is easy due to its inaccessibility. To learn more about dining etiquette
in Tunisia, visit the Tunisian Food page.
This page was last updated: November, 2011