314 Mediated Publics
comfort of domesticity, acting as a peculiar kind of living room in which
the gender heterogeneity of domestic spaces is usurped by the male’s right
to socialize publicly. Men and women I interviewed said that women who
visited coffeehouses risked social stigmatization. When pressed for an
explanation, a common response was that women in conventional cafés
were assumed to be prostitutes. Men in particular justified this perception
by their assertion that none of the activities in a café could be of interest
to a woman and therefore her purpose could only be suspect. Abdellah
Kacemi, a 36-year-old engineer, put it this way:
There is no other reason for [women] to be [in the coffee-
house]. When you see them you know that they are just com-
ing [to the coffeehouse] to find a man to pay them money.
For men, we have a reason to be here. We are talking with
our friends, seeing the sports matches. A lot of times we are
making honest business. But the women are just coming here
because they are looking for men to pay them something.^36s succinct explanation is thick with meaning. The speaker Thi
describes several usual activities, including social conversations, mak-
ing deals and watching sports. Other essential café activities are reading
the newspaper, watching the news on satellite-broadcast-linked televi-
sions, debating political issues and networking with friends, family mem-
bers and coworkers. The essential element is what makes these activities
meaningful to men, and that is the atmosphere of camaraderie found in
Casablanca’s traditional cafés. Women who choose to enter an atmosphere
of camaraderie among men risk permanently damaging their reputations.
e women in my study negotiated the risk of demeaned social sta-Th
tus either by refraining from visiting traditional cafés altogether or limit-
ing themselves to the occasional rendezvous at thematic cafés in neigh-
borhoods far from their own to diminish the chances of being “caught”
or “discovered” in the apparently shameful act of leisuring in the pub-
lic sphere. In the past two decades numerous legislative changes have
enabled Moroccan women to gain equal access to education and partici-
pate in increasing numbers in the workforce. Yet the role of women as
public actors remains controversial and beholden to moralized beliefs. In
practice this means that women can be seen walking through the streets