Teranga and the art of hospitality: Engendering the nation, politics, and religion in Dakar, Senegal

Senegal, a Muslim majority and democratic country, has long coined itself as "le pays de la teranga" (Land of Hospitality). This dissertation explores the central importance of teranga --the Wolof word which encapsulates the generous and civic-minded qualities of individuals -- to events such as weddings and baptisms, women's political process, as well as everyday calculated and improvisational social encounters. Teranga is both the core symbol, for many, of Senegalese nationalism and collective identity, and the source of contentious and polarizing debates surrounding its qualities and meanings.;The investigation of teranga throughout this dissertation exposes the complexities of social and gender ideologies and practices in Senegal. In addition, this dissertation aspires to investigate the subjectivities, and conditions of Senegalese women as well as their contributions to the social, religious, and political realities of contemporary Senegal, and Dakar more specifically. This dissertation focuses on how teranga is debated, talked about, and performed by several groups.;First, it investigates the public discourses of teranga as a gendered symbol of national culture and its central importance to the construction of female subjects in their navigation of courtship, marriage, and family relations. Second, an expose of family ceremonies and the women who conduct them, demonstrates generational shifts in the interpretation and value given to the process of teranga in a contemporary moment where daughters are redefining its meaning from that of their mother's generation.;Third, female state politicians engaged with the parite movement for gender equity in political positions utilize teranga as a tool to create power and opportunity. Female politicians create charismatic personalities by contributing to the ceremonies of supporters and conducting public displays of gift-giving. Lastly, members of the Muslim Sufi group the Layene reframe teranga as an ethical obligation to others and God, which they see as a stark contrast to mainstream interpretations. Among the Layene, unmarried young women pursue marital relationships and personal piety through engagement with teranga by hosting and visiting potential in-laws and religious leaders. As part of the Layene annual religious pilgrimage, members of the teral gann group demonstrate public piety as hostesses performing teranga.