Islam, Power and Work in Qatar: An Ethnographic Study of Social Interaction Patterns, Clothing, Housing, Discrimination, Sharia and Gender Segregation

A thorough investigation on how tribalism and Sharia law impacts a society and creates a dependence on migrants. The occupational hierarchy is based on nationality and religion. Migrants are classified as "foreign" or Arab. Gulf citizens enjoy the greatest autonomy and legal protection. The various structures of domination, such as citizenship laws, the kafala system, Sharia law and gender segregation interact together to create a system of domination and control over workers who came to Qatar in search of income and opportunity. The resistance of "single-status" workers living under Islamic and employer domination are revealed in detail.


About the Author
Dr. Alexis Lay received her Masters degree in Regional and Community Planning from Kansas State University. Her Masters research was in the area of housing in deteriorating rental areas. On completion of her Masters degree she worked in City Planning for three years. She then returned to Florida International University where she earned her PhD in Sociology with research in the area of Boundary Maintenance between Gulf Citizens and expatriates in Qatar. She was an adjunct at Lansing Community College, Michigan State University and UMASS-Boston and served as an AmeriCorps VISTA in East Lansing, Michigan. Her research has been published in Dialectical Anthropology, a high-quality, peer-reviewed journal. She has taught courses in Community Studies and Sociology as well as a unique course which she developed on "Cultural Diversity in Housing."