Algerians have four philosophies that inspire their social life: Islam, Arab Middle Eastern values, Algerian socialist values (inspired from Marxism-Leninism) and French values.
Islam is the mainstream religion, while Middle Eastern television and radio shows are very popular and many Algerians have studied in such countries. Socialism was the norm until recently and still is to a certain extent. Many people from big cities have watched French television every day since the late 1980s and the elite was educated in France.
Greetings in Algerian culture
French-educated men and women greet each other by kissing each other on both cheeks. This trend is disappearing, as most Algerians greet themselves by saying, "Salam alaikum". Men may kiss each other on both cheeks if they have a strong connection.
Otherwise, and handshake is the norm between men. For people of the opposite sex, a nod can be enough, although some women will give a gentle handshake.
Socialist culture and Islamic values insist that everyone should be greeted equally either with the words "salam alaikum", "sabah elkheir" in the morning and "besslama" when leaving. People should answer greetings accordingly, by saying "alaikum salam", "sabah ennour" or "besslama". Failure to answer these greetings is a sign of impoliteness to many Algerians.
Conversation etiquette in Algeria
Most Algerians mix French and Algerian Arabic when they speak. Some add Kabyle or other Berber languages to this mix. Still, in some rural areas, such code-mixing does not occur and little or no French is understood.
Modern Standard Arabic is the language of choice for Algerians when interacting with Middle Easterners, although English is slowly gaining ground. When conversing with most Europeans, French is the norm in Algeria.
Smiling and laughing is an important part of conversation among Algerians. Serious tones are not appreciated and are perceived as a sign of arrogance. Algerians slap each others' hand when a funny joke is told, then put their hand on their heart.
Social etiquette in Algeria
While Algerian society is technically egalitarian, age plays an important role in the social hierarchy. More serious tones are adopted when conversing with elders, and Algerians tend avoid eye contact with elders. Elderly foreigners are not treated with such respect because older age is often linked to more religious piousness. The elderly are referred to as "hadj", whether they accomplished their pilgrimage or not.
Women are often at the bottom of the hierarchy, although some French-educated women insist that they be treated with respect.
People of the opposite sex avoid physical contact with each other and often eat separately and converse in separate rooms. Algerians are very uncomfortable in social or business situations when they have to interact with people from the opposite sex. This discomfort can lead to suspicion, as many Algerian men or women accuse people of the opposite sex of enticing them sexually.
Algerian society is thus stratified by age and gender and it is best to remain within circles of people that are of the same age and gender.
Note that Algerians rarely smoke in front of the elderly, and Algerian women rarely smoke in front of male counterparts.
Islam is the mainstream religion, while Middle Eastern television and radio shows are very popular and many Algerians have studied in such countries. Socialism was the norm until recently and still is to a certain extent. Many people from big cities have watched French television every day since the late 1980s and the elite was educated in France.
Greetings in Algerian culture
French-educated men and women greet each other by kissing each other on both cheeks. This trend is disappearing, as most Algerians greet themselves by saying, "Salam alaikum". Men may kiss each other on both cheeks if they have a strong connection.
Otherwise, and handshake is the norm between men. For people of the opposite sex, a nod can be enough, although some women will give a gentle handshake.
Socialist culture and Islamic values insist that everyone should be greeted equally either with the words "salam alaikum", "sabah elkheir" in the morning and "besslama" when leaving. People should answer greetings accordingly, by saying "alaikum salam", "sabah ennour" or "besslama". Failure to answer these greetings is a sign of impoliteness to many Algerians.
Most Algerians mix French and Algerian Arabic when they speak. Some add Kabyle or other Berber languages to this mix. Still, in some rural areas, such code-mixing does not occur and little or no French is understood.
Modern Standard Arabic is the language of choice for Algerians when interacting with Middle Easterners, although English is slowly gaining ground. When conversing with most Europeans, French is the norm in Algeria.
Smiling and laughing is an important part of conversation among Algerians. Serious tones are not appreciated and are perceived as a sign of arrogance. Algerians slap each others' hand when a funny joke is told, then put their hand on their heart.
Social etiquette in Algeria
While Algerian society is technically egalitarian, age plays an important role in the social hierarchy. More serious tones are adopted when conversing with elders, and Algerians tend avoid eye contact with elders. Elderly foreigners are not treated with such respect because older age is often linked to more religious piousness. The elderly are referred to as "hadj", whether they accomplished their pilgrimage or not.
Women are often at the bottom of the hierarchy, although some French-educated women insist that they be treated with respect.
People of the opposite sex avoid physical contact with each other and often eat separately and converse in separate rooms. Algerians are very uncomfortable in social or business situations when they have to interact with people from the opposite sex. This discomfort can lead to suspicion, as many Algerian men or women accuse people of the opposite sex of enticing them sexually.
Algerian society is thus stratified by age and gender and it is best to remain within circles of people that are of the same age and gender.
Note that Algerians rarely smoke in front of the elderly, and Algerian women rarely smoke in front of male counterparts.
Love and Marriage in Algerian society
Displays of affection, whether physical or verbal, are taboo in Algerian culture. Some Algerians may go as far as not sitting with their spouse when taking public transportation.
In some big cities, it is acceptable for married couple to grab each other by the arm, but seldom by the hand.
When young people date before marriage, dates simply involve having a cup of coffee at an expensive coffee house. Due to a shortage of housing and lack of hotels, parks and entertainment infrastructures, couples spend relatively little time together. The police sometimes cracks down on couples who hang out in the few parks available in cities. If unmarried couples attempt to rent a hotel room together, they can be arrested.
Mothers often choose a wife or husband for their children. If husbands find out that their wives have been involved in dating other men before marriage, whether such dating involved intercourse or not, can lead to serious couple issues, and sometimes divorce.
Wedding ceremonies are often private ceremonies where only family members are invited. It is rare to see friends or colleagues at wedding ceremonies.
Most Algerian weddings involve women staying inside the house dancing to loud music, while men stay outside playing cards or dominos. Big cities and rural Kabylie sometimes make exceptions to this rule, as men are in some cases allowed to join women and dance.
Women are expected to remain virgins until they are married, though some French-educated women strongly oppose this social norm.
Religion in Algerian society
Foreigners are not expected to make remarks about religious activities in Algeria.
There are basically three religious groups in Algeria: Salafi (inspired from Saudi Arabia), Moderate (traditional Algerian Islam) and secular Islam, agnosticism or Atheism (inspired by French secular principles). These three religious groups often clash.
After a civil war in the 1990s involved radical Islamic factions with a more secular government, Algerian society had mixed reactions to the conflict. The Algerian government made concessions to religious people, making Islam a State religion, making Islamic teachings mandatory in public schools and arresting people who convert from Islam to other religions or who eat in public during the fasting hours of Ramadan.
As a consequence of the civil war opposing radical Islamic factions to a more secular government, some rejected Islam completely, converting to Christianity. Others, who tend to embrace the idea of an Islamic state, embraced Salafi Islam.
Most Algerian Muslims do not think of prayer as mandatory, but Ramadan is mandatory. Getting caught eating during fasting hours or drinking alcohol throughout the month of Ramadan, whether in public or within the privacy of your own home, can lead to serious problems both with society and with the police.
Views of Foreigners in Algeria
While Muslim foreigners can be treated with respect, Algerians often fear that their values may clash with non-Muslim foreigners.
As during French colonial times Algerians were referred to as "Indigenous people" and were not integrated to society by the French, Algerians can sometimes resent foreigners. Many Algerians believe that foreigners treat them as second-class citizens whether in Algeria or abroad. Absence of adequate tourism policies has aggravated this fact.
Displays of affection, whether physical or verbal, are taboo in Algerian culture. Some Algerians may go as far as not sitting with their spouse when taking public transportation.
In some big cities, it is acceptable for married couple to grab each other by the arm, but seldom by the hand.
When young people date before marriage, dates simply involve having a cup of coffee at an expensive coffee house. Due to a shortage of housing and lack of hotels, parks and entertainment infrastructures, couples spend relatively little time together. The police sometimes cracks down on couples who hang out in the few parks available in cities. If unmarried couples attempt to rent a hotel room together, they can be arrested.
Mothers often choose a wife or husband for their children. If husbands find out that their wives have been involved in dating other men before marriage, whether such dating involved intercourse or not, can lead to serious couple issues, and sometimes divorce.
Wedding ceremonies are often private ceremonies where only family members are invited. It is rare to see friends or colleagues at wedding ceremonies.
Most Algerian weddings involve women staying inside the house dancing to loud music, while men stay outside playing cards or dominos. Big cities and rural Kabylie sometimes make exceptions to this rule, as men are in some cases allowed to join women and dance.
Women are expected to remain virgins until they are married, though some French-educated women strongly oppose this social norm.
Religion in Algerian society
Foreigners are not expected to make remarks about religious activities in Algeria.
There are basically three religious groups in Algeria: Salafi (inspired from Saudi Arabia), Moderate (traditional Algerian Islam) and secular Islam, agnosticism or Atheism (inspired by French secular principles). These three religious groups often clash.
After a civil war in the 1990s involved radical Islamic factions with a more secular government, Algerian society had mixed reactions to the conflict. The Algerian government made concessions to religious people, making Islam a State religion, making Islamic teachings mandatory in public schools and arresting people who convert from Islam to other religions or who eat in public during the fasting hours of Ramadan.
As a consequence of the civil war opposing radical Islamic factions to a more secular government, some rejected Islam completely, converting to Christianity. Others, who tend to embrace the idea of an Islamic state, embraced Salafi Islam.
Most Algerian Muslims do not think of prayer as mandatory, but Ramadan is mandatory. Getting caught eating during fasting hours or drinking alcohol throughout the month of Ramadan, whether in public or within the privacy of your own home, can lead to serious problems both with society and with the police.
Views of Foreigners in Algeria
While Muslim foreigners can be treated with respect, Algerians often fear that their values may clash with non-Muslim foreigners.
As during French colonial times Algerians were referred to as "Indigenous people" and were not integrated to society by the French, Algerians can sometimes resent foreigners. Many Algerians believe that foreigners treat them as second-class citizens whether in Algeria or abroad. Absence of adequate tourism policies has aggravated this fact.
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