There are growing discussions across disciplines about the widespread impacts of emerging Information and Communication Technologies, such a social media, virtual and augmented realities, big data, the Internet of Things, and other similar advances collectively referred to as the “Fourth Industrial Revolution” (4IR). The increased digitization of daily life these technologies bring, and the tangible benefits derived from their consumption are, however, not universally distributed. It is here that government policies play a critical role. The Middle East is no exception to this evolving global picture, complete with both a capitalization on digital dividends and the perpetuation of massive inequities in their distribution. Within the region, countries of the Arabian Peninsula appear to be among the best positioned to reap these dividends due to a host of demographic, economic, technological and political factors. In fact, Gulf countries are frequently touted in global reports as having some of the highest per-capita rates of digital diffusion and consumption patterns in the world. This project examines Kuwait’s digital ecosystem—defined as a combination of its digital infrastructure, regulatory environment, and human capital. This ecosystem is crucial to the country’s ambitious economic diversification plans and revised social contract as articulated in its Vision 2035 strategy. However, based on available data, Kuwait currently has some of the Arabian Peninsula’s worst performing digital indicators. This project provides a comprehensive analysis of existing international studies on digital technology in the region, such as the World Internet Project, the International Telecommunications Union, the World Economic Forum, the Arab Social Media Report and others to ascertain what is known about Kuwait’s digital ecosystem within the context of the broader region. Interviews were also conducted with key members of local government agencies responsible for providing data about Kuwait to international organizations, as well the strategic planning for the country’s 4IR ecosystem. It reveals that hitherto underreported large-scale plans are afoot in a regional race to transform Kuwait into an international data hub and digital technology haven. However, there remains a scarcity of reliable media-use measures, dependable data, or country specific analyses on which to base such plans. This study outlines gaps between where the country appears to be and where it intends to go. Based on available evidence, these gaps are both numerous and exigent, but the potential payoffs derived from narrowing them is likewise substantial. It concludes with recommendations in the areas of data collection, governance, and innovation incubation.

Starting in the mid Twentieth Century, a number of rulers in the Gulf were determined to instigate modernity and a unique national identity for their newly found Nation State. The advent of oil allowed for this 'character' crafting to take shape and for the State to farm out resources, generating an array of national narratives. Different venues were activated including architecture, urban planning, art, theatre, photography, international expositions, and biennales to solidify an image in place. Scholarship on the Gulf tends to recount State building from a political and economic perspective disregarding how actual State sponsored visual displays, that were physical, pictorial, or staged, supported and at times even prompted this national narrative. The paper thus examines the national image as crafted through television in the state of Kuwait in a particular since Kuwait at the time was at the fore front of image making in the region. Television production in this period thus became one of the means by which much of this narrative was disseminated to the viewing public. The paper will also explore the ways in which television influenced in the process urban and domestic development and articulation that in the process became a factor in its national image.

NARRATIVE FORMATION OF IDENTITY A STUDY OF SELF-NARRATION AND REPRESENTATION OF MINORITIES IN THE MODERN KUWAITI NOVEL The aim of the present study is to examine identity formation in the modern Kuwaiti novel by observing several narratological techniques and the use of language in forming the psychological elements of its characters, and its impact on self-narration, representation, and the differentiation between the 'I' and the 'Other'. This paper utilizes narrative works to observe the development of identifying and classifying identity by using different styles of narration, and to analyze the bonding relationships among the characters through investigating its given characteristics such as: the strength in the voice of the character, evoking its emotions, and the techniques in creating several types of focalization. It takes as case studies two sets of narrative works by two well-known Kuwaiti novelists: Ism?a?l Fahd Ism?a?l's B?a?dan il? Huna (1997) and his latest novel ?and?q Aswad ?khr (2018); and N??er al-?if?r?'s Al-Jahr?? Trilogy: al-?ahd (2014), K?lisk? (2015), and al-Ma??r (2018). The study relies on narrative theory and research in the physiology of language and psycho-narration, such as the works of Ann Banfield and Dorrit Cohn, to examine two major characteristics. First, self-narration and other techniques that are constituted as a subject of reflection (Narrator, Narratee, Levels of Narration, etc.); second, the use of certain linguistic and syntactic techniques to represent the 'Other', especially minorities such as Bid?ns [stateless citizens] and foreign workers. The conclusion, which will also serves as the preface to an under-process English translation of al-?if?r?'s Al-Jahr?? Trilogy, will seek to identify the combination of narratological, linguistic, and syntactic techniques that Kuwaiti authors employ as tools for forming different characters in their novels in order to create that thinnest line between identities, that any reader, from inside or outside the culture, can see it as it really exists in both reality and in the novel as a production of the collective memory of the modern society of Kuwait.

Youth culture in Kuwait manifests itself in different ways and across various spaces. Often, the form of its manifestation is dependent upon which space we are examining, or which space the youth are participating in. I will examine cultural spaces where creative activities take place and where creative communities gather, be they related to art, theatre, literature, or music. Who is implicitly excluded, who is allowed to participate, and who is actively targeted? Given Kuwait’s demographic makeup and with nationals being a minority, any discussion of ‘youth’ has to also include both the stateless and expatriate communities. My focus will be on the period between 2012 and 2018, to demonstrate the creation of alternative spaces and means of expression following a period of significant political repression. New state-led cultural institutions under the Amiri Diwan have emerged since 2015 and dominated the cultural scene since then. I will demonstrate how they are shaping the ways in which Kuwait’s youth interacts with and is impacted by these spaces, versus nongovernmental creative initiatives. Based on fieldwork carried out over the summer of 2018 in Kuwait, comprised of interviews as well as Arabic and English surveys with a total of 1500 responses, I will address the societal effects of cultural inclusion and exclusion. Kuwait’s expansion of creative spaces must be situated as part of a larger debate on the regression of political rights post-2012. A pattern from my interviews revealed the youth’s loss of faith in political reform, and a choice to redirect their energy towards social change via the cultural sector. Post-2012, a plethora of grassroots cultural initiatives emerged in Kuwait. Around late 2015, the state begins to compete with non-governmental initiatives and introduces its own. It tightens regulations on grassroots cultural spaces, imposing censorship on books, prohibiting dancing at concerts, as well as bureaucratic procedures that private initiatives must follow. Creative spaces can and should be utilized positively, but currently, there is evidence of exclusion, discrimination and marginalization. While the sense of disillusionment with the Parliament suggests another problem, I aim to draw attention to what has captured the youth’s attention in recent years. Through pointing out its positive impacts thus far while also highlighting its shortcomings based on the experiences of individuals and communities who’ve both participated and been excluded, I hope to lead a discussion on moving forward in maximizing creative spaces to build an inclusive youth culture in Kuwait.

Freshman writing courses offered in the higher education on the Gulf Council Countries (GCC) follow the American model where all freshman students are expected to take one or more semester long writing courses that focus on critical reading, rhetorical awareness, and genre awareness. These courses are designed to help freshman students bridge the gap between their secondary education and college level writing that they are expected to produce. These non-native students are usually blamed for their production in the same way as native students have long been criticized for not being “able to write English at the minimal college level” (Sheils 1975 p.58). The case is often complicated because to these students English is a second or a foreign language which is also the medium of education in which they are expected to produce academic papers. Metadiscourse markers represent one of the important features of academic writing. Metadiscourse markers are defined as "words which follow each other more frequently than expected by chance, helping to shape text meanings and contributing to our sense of distinctiveness in a register" (Hyland 2008). The presence of such formulaic expressions indicates the writer's competence in the discipline and to readers these occurrences seem very 'natural'. This paper utilizes quantitative and qualitative approaches to compare how freshman students across different cultures use metadiscourse markers in their writing. The study relies on two learner corpora of consisting of 100 argumentative essays, the first is built from writings of American students and the second consists of writings of Arab students. The researcher adopts Hyland (2005) model to examine the linguistic features used by L1 and L2 writers to project their stance in arguments. This corpus-based analysis examines stance across two different cultures to understand the extent of its influence on students’ choices of metadiscourse markers. By combining language-based and socio-rhetorical context-based approaches, the study aims to highlight practical teaching techniques that address the practical needs of Arab learners. References Hyland, K. (2005). Stance and engagement: A model of interaction in academic discourse. Discourse Studies,7(2), 173-191. doi:10.5040/9781350037939.0015 Hyland, K. (2008). As can be seen: Lexical bundles and disciplinary variation. English for Specific Purposes. doi:10.5040/9781350037939.0030 Sheils, M. (1975). Why Johnny Can't Write? Newsweek. Retrieved July 26, 2018, from http://engl697-goleman.wikispaces.umb.edu/file/view/Why Johnny can't write.pdf