Museum Development in the Gulf: Narrative and Architecture (original) (raw)
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During the last decade discourses and practices relating to heritage (turāth) have increasingly gained prominence in the UAE, manifesting themselves not only in the continuing construction and proliferation of national heritage museums, but also through the establishment of heritage villages and cultural festivals. The present article aims at undertaking a comparison of four national museums, identifying in each case the images, which are promoted in the exhibitions to frame a specific national identity. By applying a ‘museum-as-textapproach’ it will become evident that the individual emirates through the museum exhibitions express their own national identities by forging grand narratives which in turn are associated with different origins, the latter forming the discursive basis for mutual differentiation. The comparison will also take into account the heritage villages and popular cultural festivals. In this context the difference between two essential modes of display will be scrutinized, the ‘static’ form of representation and the ‘living museum’, as well as the question as to what extent these different modes of display allow for the expression of individual, regional, or tribal identities within the national discourses. Finally, the various forms of display will be contextualized within a more encompassing trend of heritage production in the UAE. ( online link: http://journals.sfu.ca/hhss/index.php/hhss/article/view/14)
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As we are heading through the second decade of the 21 st century, architecture of the Islamic communities is still an unresolved dilemma. In this context, the impact of iconic buildings which claim to represent Islam or provide a contemporary approach to Islamic architecture is crucial on different levels. Therefore, a year after Museum of Islamic Art (MIA) opening in Doha, Qatar, an evaluative perspective of the institution's development story needs to be sketched. In this essay I will use MIA, Doha as a springboard for a discussion related to the museums of the 21 th century. Then, I will try to exploit the findings of this discussion in the assessment and critical review of the museum itself. The assessment will include the ability of contemporary architecture to credibly represent Islamic cultural identity. This essay will analyze how and why community participation in museums is a significant factor in bridging the gap and improving relationship between the two institutions. The social inclusion leads to trust, understanding, a sense of identity, and creating a museum that is more relevant to the community. This essay also give some suggestions on how to build bridges between museums and communities, to provide an opportunity for the people living in such communities, like Gulf ones, to find out about their own heritage and to help them realize that it is through their active participation in museum activities that heritage is kept alive. Considering Qatar's thrive into a post-oil paradigm where knowledge economy might be the generative force for development, an examination of how MIA is contributing to Qatar's new vision becomes so relevant.
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The workshop aims to address the topic of cultural heritage, national identity and State practice in the Gulf region from an interdisciplinary perspective. Cultural heritage is increasingly playing a role in the formation and preservation of identity narratives in Gulf States, including nation-building narratives, and cultural policy making initiatives aiming at identity preservation. The workshop will examine the correlation between heritage and identity, as well as between cultural practices, politics and applicable legal frameworks. It will further investigate the evolving relationship of Gulf states and societies to cultural heritage (museums, private collections, etc.) in the context of sociocultural, economic and political developments in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). The workshop will focus on three main areas: The politicized role of cultural heritage in shaping overlapping and sometimes conflicting identities at the regional and local level. The effectiveness of the existing legal framework protecting tangible and intangible heritage in Gulf countries, and potential for reform. The growing problem of trafficking in cultural goods, terrorism finance, and changing regional attitudes to it.