Transculturality and the Hajj: diasporas as mediators of cross-cultural encounters.

Arguably the most sacred Islamic city, Mecca has long been a migration destination for Muslims. It has become the home to various diasporas over time. Born and raised in Mecca, members of these diasporic communities become transcultural as they retain aspects of their ancestral cultures while adopting the practices of Mecca's native Western Arabians and other diasporas amidst them. These diasporas put their transculturality to good use as mediators of cross-cultural encounters when millions of pilgrims congregate in Mecca to perform the Hajj each year. This paper is an ethnography of the longitudinal effects of migration. I discuss the Fatanis who perform various roles to ensure the pilgrims' successful and comfortable completion of the Hajj, especially their co-ethnic Malays from Southeast Asia. This study of the Fatani diaspora shows that culture is multifarious and dynamic, not homogenous, static, and exclusive. It is also an account of how migration transforms people and cultures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]