WINDOW-SHOPPING IN CONSTANTINE-ALGERIA, AN EXCELLENT WOMEN'S LEISURE CASE OF SHOPPING CENTRES(RITEDJ MALL AND LA COUPOLE) IN THE NEWALI MENDJELI CITY

Abstract

Leisure activities are essential for well-being of the people. Regrettably, this practice is marginalized in Arab-Muslim society, where women are largely excluded from public spaces. Indeed, leisure in Constantine has never been practiced equally by the two sexes in society, with women suffering the brunt of the marginalization and more often than not contenting themselves with observation for entertainment. As a result, window-shopping is the most widespread form of recreation for them, to remedy the scarcity of leisure facilities in the city, and also a solution  for women who feel left out of the other recreational areas filled by men. This observation was made at the two shopping centers, Ritedj Mall and La Coupole, who receive 8 million visitors a year from all over the country, as well as neighboring countries. This study sheds light on the practice of window shopping as a leisure activity for women, in order to provide an objective picture of the reality of leisure spaces in Constantine, and to show how women appropriate public spaces, mainly shopping centers. To achieve this, fieldwork was carried out in the two shopping centers over a period of two years (holiday periods). Surveys and interviews with users and centre managers were supplemented by on-site observations. The results show that, women find window-shopping an excellent means of entertainment, a leisure activity that offers them a discreet moment of fulfillment. Women’s visit of shopping centers peak exceptionally during the evenings of the month of Ramadhan, during the holidays and weekends.