Medical training in tlemcen reproducing social status and achieving social advancement

Abstract

An individual's social, cultural, and professional background plays a significant role in shaping the social structures within society and contributes to the production of social and cultural values that ensure its survival and continuity. These backgrounds contribute to the creation of a set of values and practices that characterize students in medical school.  Identifying the effects of the social, cultural, and professional backgrounds of students' families (educational level and nature of parents' professions) aims to understand how these backgrounds contribute to academic and professional success for medical students. Families in Tlemcen prioritize medical training for their children over other disciplines. Benefiting from the city's historical and cultural heritage, which made it a center for medical training during the Arab and Islamic period, medical education witnessed a remarkable revival after the establishment of the University of Tlemcen, in response to political and demographic factors, in addition to the aforementioned historical, cultural, and civilizational factors. This was further facilitated by the presence of many Tlemcen families who monopolized the medical profession and used it as a means of achieving social status.