Tunisia-Dr Fathia Saeedi: “Hachichet Ramadan” created by collective imagination to justify behavior of tension and violence” [Video]

It is certain and well-known that the holy month of Ramadan is the month of tolerance, solidarity, and worship…but we may sometimes notice, particularly in our streets, other behaviours that increase during this month, such as rage, agitation, and even violence during this religious occasion. Called by many Hachichet Ramadan this concept rather than being grounded in the physiological effects of fasting such as caffeine or nicotine withdrawal, is more a product of societal perceptions and collective imagination.

Is Hachichet Ramadan a psychosomatic behaviour that has its reasons and causes, or is it just a justification for undesirable behaviour circulating in the popular imagination of Tunisians?

Concerning this topic, writer and doctor in sociology, Dr Fathia Saeedi told Tunisie Numérique that the word “Hachichet Ramadan” has no evident scientific explanations that confirm that it is related to the month of fasting and results from the body’s requirement for certain elements, but rather it is only perceptions and representations constructed by the collective imagination and Traded by individuals.

She added that the lack of nicotine or caffeine for smokers may cause some anxiety, but this is not a reason for the exchange of verbal and physical violence within society.

Our speaker clarified that is merely an inherited social and cultural phenomenon that produces psychological predispositions in people to use excuses that do not exist except in the collective imagination to justify unacceptable behaviours such as tension and violence.

Dr. Saeedi underlined that this word or interpretation of behaviour may be included in the justification, particularly for phenomena of violence such as domestic and marital violence.