Wayside Charity: Ramadan Mercy Tables in Tunis (Metamorphosis of Food Solidarity and its Sociological Implications)

Abstract

Since the revolution, a new form of politically-associated solidarity initiatives have arisen in Tunisian society, such as relief for refugees and Ramadan Mercy tables. To understand these solidarity dynamics, the study takes an ethno-sociological approach to analyse Mercy tables throughout the month of Ramadan in a working class neighbourhood (Kabaria) in the capital, which has for many years relied on the voluntary efforts of neighbours and the various kinship networks. The study examines how charitable activities have been liberated from the monopoly of the state bureaucracy while instead being left vulnerable to political or ideological exploitation.