Senegal, a Muslim majority and democratic country, has long coined itself as "le pays de la terànga" (Land of Hospitality). This dissertation explores the central importance of terànga– the Wolof word which encapsulates the generous and civic-minded qualities of individuals – to events such as weddings and baptisms, women’s political process, as well as everyday calculated and improvisational social encounters. Terànga is both the core symbol, for many, of Senegalese nationalism and collective identity, and the source of contentious and polarizing debates surrounding its qualities and meanings. The investigation of terànga throughout this dissertation exposes the complexities of social and gender ideologies and practices in Senegal. In addition, this dissertation aspires to investigate the subjectivities, and conditions of Senegalese women as well as their contributions to the social, religious, and political realities of contemporary Senegal, and Dakar more specifically. This dissertation focuses on how terànga is debated, talked about, and performed by several groups. First, it investigates the public discourses of terànga as a gendered symbol of national culture and its central importance to the construction of female subjects in their navigation of courtship, marriage, and family relations. Second, an exposé of family ceremonies and the women who conduct them, demonstrates generational shifts in the interpretation and value given to the process of terànga in a contemporary moment where daughters are redefining its meaning from that of their mother's generation. Third, female state politicians engaged with the parité movement for gender equity in political positions utilize terànga as a tool to create power and opportunity. Female politicians create charismatic personalities by contributing to the ceremonies of supporters and conducting public displays of gift-giving. Lastly, members of the Muslim Sufi group the Layene reframe terànga as an ethical obligation to others and God, which they see as a stark contrast to mainstream interpretations. Among the Layene, unmarried young women pursue marital relationships and personal piety through engagement with terànga by hosting and visiting potential in-laws and religious leaders. As part of the Layene annual religious pilgrimage, members of the teral gann group demonstrate public piety as hostesses performing terànga.
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