ABSTRACT
Social life for Muslim women in Tunis does not occur in outdoor spaces such as restaurants, movie theaters, shopping malls, or parks, although the capital of Tunisia, like most major cities, has a growing number of these amenities. Tunisian women's homes are noisy, active, busy social centers, filled with neighbors who have dropped in ostensibly to borrow tea; and friends who have stopped by to drop off the magazines they had promised during the last week. Even though the home is the center of much social life for both men and women in Tunis, there is no question that it is primarily a female space. Particularly for older men and teenagers, the home is primarily a space to sleep, eat, and interact with their immediate family. Most of Arab daily life centers around close intimate human contact; in fact, a Westerner's desire to be alone is often seen as antisocial, cold, rude, and even abnormal.
