The most useful questions to ask about the relationship between new media and new democracies are empirical and contextual: can the internet, in specific places and instances, facilitate forms of participation that strengthen... more
The most useful questions to ask about the relationship between new media and new democracies are empirical and contextual: can the internet, in specific places and instances, facilitate forms of participation that strengthen citizens' capacity for collective action and ...
Focusing on the struggles of youth in the Arabian Gulf to find their place in their encounters with modernity, Everyday Youth Cultures in the Gulf Peninsula explores how global forces are reshaping everyday cultural experiences in... more
Focusing on the struggles of youth in the Arabian Gulf to find their place in their encounters with modernity, Everyday Youth Cultures in the Gulf Peninsula explores how global forces are reshaping everyday cultural experiences in authoritarian societies. A deeper understanding of Gulf youth emerges from reading about the everyday lives and struggles, opportunities and contributions of youth who, in the process of developing their personal identities, are also incrementally transforming their societies and cultures. Based on ethnographic fieldwork in Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Qatar, the chapters bring fresh insight into Gulf youth microcultures from the ground and invite dialogue by engaging young local and foreign academics in the discussion.
In light of the general difficulties of accessing Gulf societies, the book’s nuanced, richly detailed depictions of everyday life can be of interest to academic research in Middle East Studies, youth sociology, political science and anthropology, as well as to business and governmental decision-making.
Through an exploration of Kuwait’s independent bookstores, the article challenges the reputation of Gulf Arab monarchies as generally lacking a reading culture. It treats independent bookstores as urban spaces designed to enable... more
Through an exploration of Kuwait’s independent bookstores, the article challenges the reputation of Gulf Arab monarchies as generally lacking a reading culture. It treats independent bookstores as urban spaces designed to enable participation in the practices and rituals of reading books and as indicators of reading microcultures in the country. Run by readers and writers, independent bookstores fill a gap in the cultural landscape in order to cultivate highbrow readership. They nurture emerging communities of readers, creating intimate spaces that blur the boundaries of public and private. They balance art and commerce to assume roles as arbiters of taste, community centers, and literary-cultural societies. Aided by social media, their activities spill over into the wider community and expand beyond the borders of Kuwait, attesting to the resilience of historical patterns of the Arab world of letters and the emergence of the Gulf as a new center in the circuit.
Food has an identity value. Food preferences are inextricably linked to the social structure, geography and history of a culture, and studying food habits involves an exploration of the entanglements of the biological and the cultural,... more
Food has an identity value. Food preferences are inextricably linked to the social structure, geography and history of a culture, and studying food habits involves an exploration of the entanglements of the biological and the cultural, the individual and the social, the material and the symbolic, and cultures local and global. The food choices people make are also performative expressions of identity and belongings, and when a comprehensive new diet appears, it brings with it the possibility of reshaping identities in novel ways. How the diet of veganism has been introduced in Kuwait, the new values for identity that have been created through it for young people, and how vegan identities are reconciled with prevalent social, cultural, and religious norms in everyday life, is the focus of this chapter.
The youth bulge registered in the Middle East in the past decade reveals how youth is becoming a crucial resource in the area. Described in world media primarily in terms of radicalisation or political mobilisation, youth is ambivalently... more
The youth bulge registered in the Middle East in the past decade reveals how youth is becoming a crucial resource in the area. Described in world media primarily in terms of radicalisation or political mobilisation, youth is ambivalently torn between opportunity and challenge. In the Gulf Cooperation Countries (Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and UAE) young people enjoy an extensive welfare system, can access the latest technological advances, live in a globalised culture and display international consumption patterns. However, they have been affected by the drop of oil prices, have been hit by unemployment, and are experiencing challenges in terms of education opportunities and housing availability. Their demands for social and political change display potential instability, as evidenced by the uprisings in the region. Moreover, governments have alternated increased security measures and tighter provisions with ad hoc youth programmes to foster creativity, entrepreneurs...
Focusing on the struggles of youth in the Arabian Gulf to find their place in their encounters with modernity, Everyday Youth Cultures in the Gulf Peninsula explores how global forces are reshaping everyday cultural experiences in... more
Focusing on the struggles of youth in the Arabian Gulf to find their place in their encounters with modernity, Everyday Youth Cultures in the Gulf Peninsula explores how global forces are reshaping everyday cultural experiences in authoritarian societies. A deeper understanding of Gulf youth emerges from reading about the everyday lives and struggles, opportunities, and contributions of youth who, in the process of developing their personal identities, are also incrementally transforming their societies and cultures. Based on ethnographic fieldwork in Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar, the chapters bring fresh insight into Gulf youth microcultures from the ground and invite dialogue by engaging young local and foreign academics in the discussion. In light of the general difficulties of accessing Gulf societies, the book's nuanced, richly detailed depictions of everyday life can be of interest to academic research in Middle East studies, youth sociology, political science, and anthropology, as well as to business and governmental decision-making.
