I am Honorary Senior Research Associate at UCL Qatar, and Senior Museum Development Specialist at Qatar Museums on the National Museum of Qatar project. I directed the MA in Museum and Gallery Practice at UCL Qatar from 2011-2015, after teaching museums studies and holding curatorial positions in university museums in the UK for several years. I am currently LPI on a three year Qatar National Research Fund project exploring the concept of national identity in relation to the planned new National Museum of Qatar. My new monograph, The Global Spectacular: New Museum Architecture in China and the Arabian Peninsula (Lund Humphries) will be published in early 2018.
PhD University of Durham PgDip, Museum Studies, University of St Andrews BA in Egyptology, University of Oxford
Journal of Arabian Studies 7, iss. sup. 1, CIRS Special Issue, pp. 49-64, 2017
This paper explores ideas of the utopian in relation to art museums and the contemporary moment i... more This paper explores ideas of the utopian in relation to art museums and the contemporary moment in the Arabian Peninsula. The transference of global art museums — art museums constructed according to dominant western art historical principles and museological practices — to the Arabian Peninsula has brought with it the rhetoric of post-Enlightenment depoliticized humanist idealism that argues for the ability of these museums to instrumentalize international peace and understanding, as well as offering solace on an individual level through solitary communion with works of art, resulting in a transcendental experience. The discussion addresses the differing ideologies at play and concludes by evaluating some of the futures posited for global art museums in the Arabian Peninsula.
Archaeologists and the Dead
Mortuary Archaeology in Contemporary Society
Edited by Howard Willi... more Archaeologists and the Dead
Mortuary Archaeology in Contemporary Society
Edited by Howard Williams and Melanie Giles
A lively and engaging topic for students and professionals Chapters from contributors of a variety of backgrounds and roles make this engaging to all levels of archaeology Delivering up-to-date insights into the impact of recent legislative change and institutional responses to 'big' debates
In Representing the Nation: the use of museums and heritage to create national narratives and ide... more In Representing the Nation: the use of museums and heritage to create national narratives and identity in the Arabian Peninsula, edited by Pamela Erskine-Loftus, Mariam Al Mulla and Victoria Hightower
Book: The 1970s saw the emergence and subsequent proliferation across the Arabian Peninsula of ‘national museums’, institutions aimed at creating social cohesion and affiliation to the state within a disparate population. Representing the Nation examines the wide-ranging use of exhibitionary forms of national identity projection via consideration of their motivations, implications (current and future), possible historical backgrounds, official and unofficial meanings, and meanings for both the user/visitor and the multiple creators. The book responds to, due to the importance placed on tradition, heritage and national identity across all the states of the Peninsula, and the growth of re-imagined and new museums, the need for far greater discussion and research in these areas.
Chapter: The tiny Gulf state of Qatar continues to invest in major western-style museum projects such as the Museum of Islamic Art (opened in 2008) and the forthcoming National Museum of Qatar (currently due to open in 2017). These projects demonstrate a desire at state level to utilise western-style heritage institutions, epistemologies and methodologies as part of an agenda of international communication and cultural diplomacy. This agenda is arguably not well understood by many Qatari Nationals, and has resulted in a level of dissent and criticisms voiced in local media and social media which focusses on the involvement of western expatriates and the perception that the museums—a large economic investment—are aimed at foreign audiences. Using the example of the Museum of Islamic Art (MIA) as an ‘international’ museum, this chapter also assesses how the identities constructed by the new museums might conflict with locally produced identities which continue to exist and evolve outside the spaces of the museums, resulting in a disconnect of the local community from these institutions. The discussion suggests that the dissent articulated in relation to the new museums is symptomatic of wider state-society tensions that have become increasingly evident since the Arab Spring in 2011, shedding light on the changing nature of the “ruling bargain”, where political representation is foregone in exchange for extensive state benefits. The local response to the new museums, which are not regarded as representing or benefitting Qatari society in the eyes of many Qatari Nationals, can be seen as an index of the emerging call for reform and representation in Qatar and the region.
Journal of Arabian Studies 7, iss. sup. 1, CIRS Special Issue, pp. 49-64, 2017
This paper explores ideas of the utopian in relation to art museums and the contemporary moment i... more This paper explores ideas of the utopian in relation to art museums and the contemporary moment in the Arabian Peninsula. The transference of global art museums — art museums constructed according to dominant western art historical principles and museological practices — to the Arabian Peninsula has brought with it the rhetoric of post-Enlightenment depoliticized humanist idealism that argues for the ability of these museums to instrumentalize international peace and understanding, as well as offering solace on an individual level through solitary communion with works of art, resulting in a transcendental experience. The discussion addresses the differing ideologies at play and concludes by evaluating some of the futures posited for global art museums in the Arabian Peninsula.
Archaeologists and the Dead
Mortuary Archaeology in Contemporary Society
Edited by Howard Willi... more Archaeologists and the Dead
Mortuary Archaeology in Contemporary Society
Edited by Howard Williams and Melanie Giles
A lively and engaging topic for students and professionals Chapters from contributors of a variety of backgrounds and roles make this engaging to all levels of archaeology Delivering up-to-date insights into the impact of recent legislative change and institutional responses to 'big' debates
In Representing the Nation: the use of museums and heritage to create national narratives and ide... more In Representing the Nation: the use of museums and heritage to create national narratives and identity in the Arabian Peninsula, edited by Pamela Erskine-Loftus, Mariam Al Mulla and Victoria Hightower
Book: The 1970s saw the emergence and subsequent proliferation across the Arabian Peninsula of ‘national museums’, institutions aimed at creating social cohesion and affiliation to the state within a disparate population. Representing the Nation examines the wide-ranging use of exhibitionary forms of national identity projection via consideration of their motivations, implications (current and future), possible historical backgrounds, official and unofficial meanings, and meanings for both the user/visitor and the multiple creators. The book responds to, due to the importance placed on tradition, heritage and national identity across all the states of the Peninsula, and the growth of re-imagined and new museums, the need for far greater discussion and research in these areas.
Chapter: The tiny Gulf state of Qatar continues to invest in major western-style museum projects such as the Museum of Islamic Art (opened in 2008) and the forthcoming National Museum of Qatar (currently due to open in 2017). These projects demonstrate a desire at state level to utilise western-style heritage institutions, epistemologies and methodologies as part of an agenda of international communication and cultural diplomacy. This agenda is arguably not well understood by many Qatari Nationals, and has resulted in a level of dissent and criticisms voiced in local media and social media which focusses on the involvement of western expatriates and the perception that the museums—a large economic investment—are aimed at foreign audiences. Using the example of the Museum of Islamic Art (MIA) as an ‘international’ museum, this chapter also assesses how the identities constructed by the new museums might conflict with locally produced identities which continue to exist and evolve outside the spaces of the museums, resulting in a disconnect of the local community from these institutions. The discussion suggests that the dissent articulated in relation to the new museums is symptomatic of wider state-society tensions that have become increasingly evident since the Arab Spring in 2011, shedding light on the changing nature of the “ruling bargain”, where political representation is foregone in exchange for extensive state benefits. The local response to the new museums, which are not regarded as representing or benefitting Qatari society in the eyes of many Qatari Nationals, can be seen as an index of the emerging call for reform and representation in Qatar and the region.
This book provides, for the first time, a visual documentation of the wave of 'starchitect' desig... more This book provides, for the first time, a visual documentation of the wave of 'starchitect' designed museums under construction in certain Arabian Peninsula states, in China, and emerging economies, such as Azerbaijan and India. It offers a sustained architectural critique of the style of these new museums and suggests they represent a new dynamic in the production of cultural spaces. Karen Exell argues projects and finished buildings by the likes of Jean Nouvel, Frank Gehry and Norman Foster+Associates are less connected to regional cultural production than to globalized capitalist modernity, and contrasts this globalised aesthetic with the architecture of smaller museums that responds to more traditional regional materials and construction methods. These projects are less well known, but no less striking in their thoughtful and richly contextualised architectural approach, and reveal a nuanced interpretation of the role and function of contemporary museums. For anyone seeking to understand the profusion of grand architectural projects within the cultural sector of emerging economies, The Global Spectacular provides invaluable insight into the varying socio-economic contexts driving their development and poses vital questions about their likely impact.
Museum activity has, in recent years, undergone major and rapid development in the Arabian Penins... more Museum activity has, in recent years, undergone major and rapid development in the Arabian Peninsula, with the regeneration of existing museums as well as the establishment of new ones. Alongside such rapid expansion, questions are inevitably raised as to the new challenges museums face in this region and whether the museum, as a central focus of heritage preservation, also runs the risk of overshadowing local forms of heritage performance and preservation. With contributions from leading academics from a range of disciplines and heritage practitioners with first-hand experience of working in the region, this volume addresses the issues and challenges facing museums in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Yemen and the UAE. It focuses on the themes of politics, public engagement and the possibility of a new museum paradigm which might appropriately reflect the interests and culture of the region. The interdisciplinary approaches analyse museum development from both an inside and outside perspective, suggesting that museums do not follow a uniform trajectory across the region, but are embedded within each states’ socio-cultural context, individual government agendas and political realities. Including case study analysis, which brings the more marginal nations into the debates, as well as new empirical data and critical evaluation of the role of the museum in the Arabian Peninsula societies, this book adds fresh perspectives to the study of Gulf heritage and museology. It will appeal to regional and international practitioners and academics across the disciplines of museum studies, cultural studies, and anthropology as well as to anyone with an interest in the Gulf and Middle East.
Modernity and the Museum in the Arabian Peninsula is dedicated to the recent and rapid high-profi... more Modernity and the Museum in the Arabian Peninsula is dedicated to the recent and rapid high-profile development of museums in the Arabian Peninsula, focussing on the a number of the Arabian Peninsula states: Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and theUAE. These Gulf states are dynamically involved in the establishment of museums to preserve and , represent their distinct national culture and heritage, as well as engaging in the regional and global art worlds through the construction of state-of-the-art art museums. Alongside such developments is a rich world of collection and displaying material culture in homes and private museums that is little known to the outside world.
Museum Studies literature has struggled to keep pace with such developments and Modernity and the Museum in the Arabian Peninsula is the first book to coherently present:
a contemporary overview of the ever-evolving landscape of museums and related heritage projects in the Arabian Peninsula a critical evaluation of the nature of these museum projects within the political and cultural conditions in the Arabian Peninsula suggestions for productive ways forward for museum developments in the Arabian Peninsula Museums Studies students and museum professionals now have a book that fills an important gap in the picture of the museum worldwide. Contextualising this study in the history and politics of the region, from a scholar working within the region, this in-depth overview and critical analysis of museums in the Arabian Peninsula stands alone as an entry into this important topic.
The book covers Egyptian history from the Predynastic to the late Roman Period. It also introduce... more The book covers Egyptian history from the Predynastic to the late Roman Period. It also introduces early contemporary literary references to ancient Egypt and uses a number of theoretical approaches to interrogate the archaeological and textual data.
Egyptology and Egyptian archaeology are often viewed as insular disciplines, with their own special history and set of material remains. The kinds of theoretically informed approaches and analyses with which the wider archaeological discipline has engaged over the past decades has often been viewed with scepticism, in terms of what it has to offer to a discipline whose historical materials seem to be so rich and varied.
The reason for this study is to challenge such insularity and to demonstrate the utility of integrating theoretical ideas with specific studies of ancient Egyptian material. The chapters in this volume explore a variety of ancient and modern Egyptian material and practices, from a wide range of prehistoric and historical periods, entwining interpretation of source material with explicitly theoretical approaches to provide new perspectives and interpretations of aspects of the Ancient Egyptian past.
This volume is one of the first to demonstrate the emerging interdisciplinary nature in Ancient Egyptian studies and the first to suggest new avenues of approach whilst seeking to open a discussion about how the Egyptian past can be known and understood.
The book engages with wider trends from the humanities, which have found currency in archaeological studies, such as materiality, performativity, corporeality, embodiment, identity, and popular culture studies. Egyptian material is explored via these themes, to create nuanced and contextual interpretations of particular sites, events, artefacts and practices.
Egypt: Ancient Histories, Modern Archaeologies makes an important contribution to furthering the fields of Egyptology and Egyptian archaeology, as well as in the wider context of archaeological theory.
Heritage projects in the Arabian Peninsula are developing rapidly. Museums and heritage sites are... more Heritage projects in the Arabian Peninsula are developing rapidly. Museums and heritage sites are symbols of shifting national identities, and a way of placing the Arabian Peninsula states on the international map. Global, i.e. Western, heritage standards and practices have been utilised for the rapid injection of heritage expertise in museum development and site management and for international recognition.
The use of Western heritage models in the Arabian Peninsula inspires two key areas for research which this book examines: the obscuring of indigenous concepts and practices of heritage and expressions of cultural identity; and the tensions between local/community concepts of heritage and identity and the new national identities being constructed through museums and heritage sites at a state level.
This paper explores how the Gulf views its history and the construction of its present and future... more This paper explores how the Gulf views its history and the construction of its present and future in relation to the outside world, in particular in relation to Africa and South Asia, through the case study of the Msheireb Heritage House museums in Doha, Qatar. These four museums opened in September 2015 in renovated or fully reconstructed traditional houses as part of the Msheireb Downtown Doha project, a $5.5 billion mixed-use redevelopment project covering a 35-hectare site which will encompass commercial, residential, cultural and government buildings. The website of the project describes it as ‘… a regeneration initiative that aims to unite the Doha of yesterday with the vision of Doha tomorrow, restoring old ways of life, the traditional sense of community, and a strong sense of culture and heritage.’ The four museums narrate the history of the area (Mohammed Bin Jassim House), the early oil industry (Company House), traditional lifestyles (Radwani House) and, in Bin Jalmood House, address Indian Ocean World slavery and contemporary issues of human rights and trafficking – including the regional kafala system. The discussion will contextualise the narratives of these museums within the discourse of ‘Arabisation’ of Gulf society which I argue is in production across the Gulf states, evident in the presentation of the past and the present in the region’s museums, as well as in regional workforce nationalisation policies which influence contemporary perceptions of foreigners. I argue that through these processes, Qatar’s cosmopolitan past and present, in particular relationships with South Asia and Africa, are elided as part of the discursive construction of a pure Arab Qatari future. The closing discussion considers the significance of the concept of Qatar as endogenous as particular to the contemporary Gulf and its socio-cultural context, or as a necessary process for any emerging nation.
The lecture the the two simultaneous and oppositional discourses of cultural production currently... more The lecture the the two simultaneous and oppositional discourses of cultural production currently being articulated in the region. These are presented as oppositional in terms of both style and content: modern art is seen as a product of Western art history, while traditional cultural practices draw on the oral histories and traditional practices of the region. These binary cultural productions are also presented as providing contrasted cultural experiences: one evokes an internationally-recognized art world, while the other invites a dialogic and immersive interaction with traditional regional productions. In order to examine how these discourses have been put into practice, Exell compared the Museum of Islamic Art in Qatar with the Saif Marzooq Al-Shamlan and Bait Al Outhman museums in Kuwait.
It is by examining the rhetoric surrounding these supposedly contrasting cultural spheres that one can begin to understand how the two discourses actually play towards specific and strategic regional agendas, she said. As the Gulf states attempt to exploit the immense wealth created through hydrocarbon industries, these nations must also answer to how they are protecting against the encroachment of rapid regional transformations. Even as certain elements of modernity are being celebrated, there is a simultaneous call to strengthen local heritage as defense against what is perceived to be an onslaught and effacement of local histories anc cultures. This balancing act between the old and the new is exemplified in the two types of cultural engagements practiced in the region.
This paper explores ideas of the utopian in relation to art museums and the contemporary moment i... more This paper explores ideas of the utopian in relation to art museums and the contemporary moment in the Arabian Peninsula. The transference of global art museums – art museums constructed according to dominant western art historical principles and museological practices – to the Arabian Peninsula has brought with it the rhetoric of post-Enlightenment depoliticized humanist idealism that argues for the ability of these museums to instrumentalize international peace and understanding, as well as offering solace on an individual level through solitary communion with works of art, resulting in a transcendental experience. The discussion addresses the differing ideologies at play and concludes by evaluating some of the futures posited for global art museums in the Arabian Peninsula.
في حين توجهت استثمارات الإمارات وقطر في البداية إلى الاستحواذ على الفن الأجنبي، فإنها، جنباً إلى ... more في حين توجهت استثمارات الإمارات وقطر في البداية إلى الاستحواذ على الفن الأجنبي، فإنها، جنباً إلى جنب مع بقية دول مجلس التعاون الخليجي مثل: البحرين والكويت والسعودية وسلطنة عُمان، بدأت تركز على ترشيد الفن المحلي والمعاصر. اتخذت عملية تطور الإنتاج الفني والثقافي في هذه الدول مسارات مختلفة، ولكن الاهتمام الأساسي انصبّ على الحركات الفنية المعاصرة المحلية، التي تعرض، وتعكس، تجارب الحياة اليومية ومُدركات الثقافة الخليجية.
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Papers by Karen Exell
Mortuary Archaeology in Contemporary Society
Edited by Howard Williams and Melanie Giles
A lively and engaging topic for students and professionals
Chapters from contributors of a variety of backgrounds and roles make this engaging to all levels of archaeology
Delivering up-to-date insights into the impact of recent legislative change and institutional responses to 'big' debates
Book: The 1970s saw the emergence and subsequent proliferation across the Arabian Peninsula of ‘national museums’, institutions aimed at creating social cohesion and affiliation to the state within a disparate population. Representing the Nation examines the wide-ranging use of exhibitionary forms of national identity projection via consideration of their motivations, implications (current and future), possible historical backgrounds, official and unofficial meanings, and meanings for both the user/visitor and the multiple creators. The book responds to, due to the importance placed on tradition, heritage and national identity across all the states of the Peninsula, and the growth of re-imagined and new museums, the need for far greater discussion and research in these areas.
Chapter: The tiny Gulf state of Qatar continues to invest in major western-style museum projects such as the Museum of Islamic Art (opened in 2008) and the forthcoming National Museum of Qatar (currently due to open in 2017). These projects demonstrate a desire at state level to utilise western-style heritage institutions, epistemologies and methodologies as part of an agenda of international communication and cultural diplomacy. This agenda is arguably not well understood by many Qatari Nationals, and has resulted in a level of dissent and criticisms voiced in local media and social media which focusses on the involvement of western expatriates and the perception that the museums—a large economic investment—are aimed at foreign audiences. Using the example of the Museum of Islamic Art (MIA) as an ‘international’ museum, this chapter also assesses how the identities constructed by the new museums might conflict with locally produced identities which continue to exist and evolve outside the spaces of the museums, resulting in a disconnect of the local community from these institutions. The discussion suggests that the dissent articulated in relation to the new museums is symptomatic of wider state-society tensions that have become increasingly evident since the Arab Spring in 2011, shedding light on the changing nature of the “ruling bargain”, where political representation is foregone in exchange for extensive state benefits. The local response to the new museums, which are not regarded as representing or benefitting Qatari society in the eyes of many Qatari Nationals, can be seen as an index of the emerging call for reform and representation in Qatar and the region.
Mortuary Archaeology in Contemporary Society
Edited by Howard Williams and Melanie Giles
A lively and engaging topic for students and professionals
Chapters from contributors of a variety of backgrounds and roles make this engaging to all levels of archaeology
Delivering up-to-date insights into the impact of recent legislative change and institutional responses to 'big' debates
Book: The 1970s saw the emergence and subsequent proliferation across the Arabian Peninsula of ‘national museums’, institutions aimed at creating social cohesion and affiliation to the state within a disparate population. Representing the Nation examines the wide-ranging use of exhibitionary forms of national identity projection via consideration of their motivations, implications (current and future), possible historical backgrounds, official and unofficial meanings, and meanings for both the user/visitor and the multiple creators. The book responds to, due to the importance placed on tradition, heritage and national identity across all the states of the Peninsula, and the growth of re-imagined and new museums, the need for far greater discussion and research in these areas.
Chapter: The tiny Gulf state of Qatar continues to invest in major western-style museum projects such as the Museum of Islamic Art (opened in 2008) and the forthcoming National Museum of Qatar (currently due to open in 2017). These projects demonstrate a desire at state level to utilise western-style heritage institutions, epistemologies and methodologies as part of an agenda of international communication and cultural diplomacy. This agenda is arguably not well understood by many Qatari Nationals, and has resulted in a level of dissent and criticisms voiced in local media and social media which focusses on the involvement of western expatriates and the perception that the museums—a large economic investment—are aimed at foreign audiences. Using the example of the Museum of Islamic Art (MIA) as an ‘international’ museum, this chapter also assesses how the identities constructed by the new museums might conflict with locally produced identities which continue to exist and evolve outside the spaces of the museums, resulting in a disconnect of the local community from these institutions. The discussion suggests that the dissent articulated in relation to the new museums is symptomatic of wider state-society tensions that have become increasingly evident since the Arab Spring in 2011, shedding light on the changing nature of the “ruling bargain”, where political representation is foregone in exchange for extensive state benefits. The local response to the new museums, which are not regarded as representing or benefitting Qatari society in the eyes of many Qatari Nationals, can be seen as an index of the emerging call for reform and representation in Qatar and the region.
Museum Studies literature has struggled to keep pace with such developments and Modernity and the Museum in the Arabian Peninsula is the first book to coherently present:
a contemporary overview of the ever-evolving landscape of museums and related heritage projects in the Arabian Peninsula
a critical evaluation of the nature of these museum projects within the political and cultural conditions in the Arabian Peninsula
suggestions for productive ways forward for museum developments in the Arabian Peninsula
Museums Studies students and museum professionals now have a book that fills an important gap in the picture of the museum worldwide. Contextualising this study in the history and politics of the region, from a scholar working within the region, this in-depth overview and critical analysis of museums in the Arabian Peninsula stands alone as an entry into this important topic.
Egyptology and Egyptian archaeology are often viewed as insular disciplines, with their own special history and set of material remains. The kinds of theoretically informed approaches and analyses with which the wider archaeological discipline has engaged over the past decades has often been viewed with scepticism, in terms of what it has to offer to a discipline whose historical materials seem to be so rich and varied.
The reason for this study is to challenge such insularity and to demonstrate the utility of integrating theoretical ideas with specific studies of ancient Egyptian material. The chapters in this volume explore a variety of ancient and modern Egyptian material and practices, from a wide range of prehistoric and historical periods, entwining interpretation of source material with explicitly theoretical approaches to provide new perspectives and interpretations of aspects of the Ancient Egyptian past.
This volume is one of the first to demonstrate the emerging interdisciplinary nature in Ancient Egyptian studies and the first to suggest new avenues of approach whilst seeking to open a discussion about how the Egyptian past can be known and understood.
The book engages with wider trends from the humanities, which have found currency in archaeological studies, such as materiality, performativity, corporeality, embodiment, identity, and popular culture studies. Egyptian material is explored via these themes, to create nuanced and contextual interpretations of particular sites, events, artefacts and practices.
Egypt: Ancient Histories, Modern Archaeologies makes an important contribution to furthering the fields of Egyptology and Egyptian archaeology, as well as in the wider context of archaeological theory.
The use of Western heritage models in the Arabian Peninsula inspires two key areas for research which this book examines: the obscuring of indigenous concepts and practices of heritage and expressions of cultural identity; and the tensions between local/community concepts of heritage and identity and the new national identities being constructed through museums and heritage sites at a state level.
It is by examining the rhetoric surrounding these supposedly contrasting cultural spheres that one can begin to understand how the two discourses actually play towards specific and strategic regional agendas, she said. As the Gulf states attempt to exploit the immense wealth created through hydrocarbon industries, these nations must also answer to how they are protecting against the encroachment of rapid regional transformations. Even as certain elements of modernity are being celebrated, there is a simultaneous call to strengthen local heritage as defense against what is perceived to be an onslaught and effacement of local histories anc cultures. This balancing act between the old and the new is exemplified in the two types of cultural engagements practiced in the region.