From the Bazaar to the Masjid: Traditionalizing Consumers within the Currents of Modernity Ateeq Abdul Rauf A thesis in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy School of Marketing University of New South Wales Business School March 2016 i ORIGINALITY STATEMENT ‘I hereby declare that this submission is my own work and to the best of my knowledge it contains no materials previously published or written by another person, or substantial proportions of material which have been accepted for the award of any other degree or diploma at UNSW or any other educational institution, except where due acknowledgement is made in the thesis. Any contribution made to the research by others, with whom I have worked at UNSW or elsewhere, is explicitly acknowledged in the thesis. I also declare that the intellectual content of this thesis is the product of my own work, except to the extent that assistance from others in the project's design and conception or in style, presentation and linguistic expression is acknowledged.’ Signed …………………………………………….............. Date …………………………………………….............. COPYRIGHT STATEMENT ‘I hereby grant the University of New South Wales or its agents the right to archive and to make available my thesis or dissertation in whole or part in the University libraries in all forms of media, now or here after known, subject to the provisions of the Copyright Act 1968. I retain all proprietary rights, such as patent rights. I also retain the right to use in future works (such as articles or books) all or part of this thesis or dissertation. I also authorise University Microfilms to use the 350 word abstract of my thesis in Dissertation Abstract International (this is applicable to doctoral theses only). I have either used no substantial portions of copyright material in my thesis or I have obtained permission to use copyright material; where permission has not been granted I have applied/will apply for a partial restriction of the digital copy of my thesis or dissertation.' Signed ……………………………………………........................... Date ……………………………………………........................... AUTHENTICITY STATEMENT ‘I certify that the Library deposit digital copy is a direct equivalent of the final officially approved version of my thesis. No emendation of content has occurred and if there are any minor variations in formatting, they are the result of the conversion to digital format.’ Signed ……………………………………………........................... Date ……………………………………………........................... Abstract Previous scholarly work in consumer research has focused on sociological consumption from a number of perspectives. Of these the writings of French sociologist Pierre Bourdieu have offered insightful guidance into the lives of consumers, their relations with society and struggle for social standing. These understandings have bearing on how, what and why these individuals consume. The current study adds to previous literature developed under the Bourdieusian framework by investigating upper-middle class consumers who transition between the fields of traditional religion and modern social class. The research examines what participation in multiple fields entails for informants at an individual and social level. To achieve its objectives, this thesis looks at participants from the orthodox Islamic and egalitarianism- motivated social movement Tablighi Jamaat (TJ). The investigation uses multi-sited ethnography and participant observation of 10 subjects across a 40-day TJ trip in Pakistan and in-depth interviews with an additional 28 informants. Consumers’ lives in the activities of TJ, at home, at work and in the marketplace are examined. The results indicate that consumers, motivated by the call to advance in the TJ subculture as a mode of traditionalizing resistance against modernity, use multiple subconscious strategies to ameliorate distinct tensions between socio-economic class and religious demands. These strategies are guided by overarching resources called capitals accumulated through individual socio-historic conditioning. Capitals help field consumers negotiate stresses by instigating learned or improvised responses. Consumers may resist to or comply with field pressures depending on the capitals gained from either modern or ii traditional fields. Such behavior is linked to consumption. The degree to which consumers are able to hold firm onto traditional lifestyles depends on their success in persisting with traditional environments, social settings, repetitive practices, and discourses. Hence, this study concludes that consumer behavior is restricted by the number and strength of social life influences a person develops in his or her life trajectory. This research contributes to existing literature by mapping individuals in their trajectory of social change and providing a framework to show how consumers balance multiple field participation in everyday life. iii Acknowledgements Alhamdolillah (praise be to Allah) that a gargantuan project has come to an end. First and foremost, I attribute this to the will of Allah, the all powerful. I would like to appreciate the contribution of many who have become a means to bring this thesis to completion. First of all, I am grateful to my parents for their beautiful upbringing and for their support all throughout my life that cannot be expressed in words. I am especially indebted to my mother who has been instrumental in pushing me to do a PhD. Jazakumullah khaira (may Allah reward you blissfully). I also acknowledge the love, patience, sacrifice, and support shown by my wife in times of happiness and distress. My time in Australia was made immensely easier with her companionship. I also acknowledge the comfort provided by my children, the second of whom I have yet to see. I miss them both. Although my family has been in Pakistan for the past few months, inshaAllah (Allah willing), the fruits of this labor will be more beneficial for our long-term future than this temporary maintenance of distance. I was tashkeeled (assigned) into the PhD program by the Ameer of Lahore, Haji Hashmat Ali. His duas (supplications) and guidance made my life easier. I earnestly thank him. In pure substance terms, no one person has had a more considerable impression on this thesis than my supervisor-in-chief Paul Henry. I am highly grateful to him to undertake this project at a time when I was clutching at straws for mentorship. Following his supervision of my successful proposal defense at breakneck speed, Paul’s exemplary efforts, patience, and persistence pushed me through an intense schedule of work. iv Additionally, his hard-to-please nature and unwavering voice of stoic reservation, I realized, were meant to improve me continually in terms of academic scholarship. I offer my heartiest thanks for all his invaluable assistance. Additional thanks are also due for providing a study space at University of Sydney Business School. I also thank Mohammed Abdur Razzaque, my supervisor at UNSW, who was a great support in helping me achieve my GRS scholarship, settling me in at the School of Marketing, and guiding my ship administratively throughout the course of the program. I next mention the contribution of Ajnesh Prasad, also my supervisor, who helped me in thinking about consumer research theory, ethnographic work, and has been a great shoulder to cry on, even though for most of the program we were geographically distant. A major hand in the impetus behind this PhD goes to Dr Arif Iqbal Rana, my father-in-law, who provided valuable advice and concern throughout. Special thanks to him. I am also highly indebted to Dr Jawaid Abdul Ghani, who has been an intellectual support and helped me think through critical aspects of the thesis. I am grateful to Jack Cadeaux who was a pivotal cog in the getting-the-scholarship-wheel. His feedback as an instructor and as a reviewer of my proposal defense has been important to making me a better thinker. I would also like to acknowledge the help of Julien Cayla, my former supervisor, who lent a big hand in starting the project. His support during the first few months and his subsequent assistance in liaising with Ajnesh and Paul to help them become my supervisors is greatly appreciated. v I also thank University of New South Wales, especially the Graduate Research School for providing the funding for this project. I also thank Ashish Sinha for conference funding support and Liem Ngo for helping out with logistics when needed. I am truly grateful to Tablighi informants who shared their (at times sensitive) life stories. I pray for the success of all of them in this world and the Hereafter. I am also appreciative of the support lent out by the Tablighis of Sydney who provided a welcome relief atmosphere to connect back to Allah. I am particularly thankful to Rasmy Alawi who was helpful as a true friend and brother. I also cannot praise enough the assistance of Dr Muhammad Imran for providing an ideal place to live and study in stressful times at the later stages of the program. I am also grateful for the help of my elder Amin Farooqi and Dr Tahir Iqbal who made me comfortable initially in Australia. I would also thank the examiners of this thesis for their time and effort in evaluating this work. For this project, I am also grateful for the financial contribution of the Sheth Foundation in the form of the 2013 ACR/Sheth Foundation Dissertation Grant for cross-cultural research. All praise be to Allah. May Allah accept. In the end, that is all that matters.