Spaces of Identity in (Post-) Modern Arab Cities
Panel 170, 2010 Annual Meeting
On Sunday, November 21 at 08:30 am
Panel Description
The on-going urban developments in many Arab countries are challenging the established traditional lifestyles of the local populations as well as those of the migrants. The processes of privatization of public spaces, structural changes in marketplaces (shopping malls instead of "oriental" bazaars), spatial fragmentation of urban spaces (ethnic, social, religious, gender) and of urban design are revolutionarily changing not only the shape and the infrastructure of the cities, but more importantly social structures, networks, fabric and interactions of all the social groups in urban spaces.
The "traditional" established spaces of interactions, where group and individual identities are lived, constructed, reflected and negotiated, have been to a great extent demolished. The processes of (re-) construction of new spaces of interactions and identities as well as the re-placement and re-definition of old spaces of identities are the major topics of this panel.
The "three-class" societies in the major GCC cities (locals, expert-expats and serving-expats), the multiple religious affiliations and various ethnic backgrounds of the urban population with less "domination" by one social group in many cities (Abu Dhabi, Doha, Dubai, Manama) are leading to new kinds of spatial segregation and isolation. Gentrification processes in the Maghreb medina (Marrakesh, Tunis, Tripoli) and new strategies of urban planning in Mashreq (Amman, Beirut, Cairo, Kuwait) are changing the urbanity in form and content. Urban design, spatial fragmentation and architecture are delivering the new boarders, binaries and places of the re-invention of new forms of social interactions, segregation and power relations. The re-production of spaces of identity (class, gender, religious, ethnic) is challenging the new identities of urban spaces promoted and constructed by the adopted policies of urban planning, urban developments and real estate projects.
The panel deals with theoretical questions of urban spaces of various social identities and city/urban identities. Case study papers demonstrate the on-going processes of re-structuring of spatial identities, the internal urban conflicts, political and economic paradoxes and challenges. Four papers are going to be presented in the panel; the fist paper tackles the issues of identity re-construction on urban national level in the UAE; the second and third papers discuss the interaction between architecture, urban planning, social dynamics and spatial identities in the cities of Cairo and Marrakesh; the fourth paper addresses the spatial identity issues on the quarter micro level by exemplifying the case of the Satwa Quarter in Dubai.
Disciplines
Participants
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Dr. Gunter Meyer
-- Chair
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Dr. Ala Al-Hamarneh
-- Organizer, Discussant
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Dr. Leila Marie Rebecca Vignal
-- Presenter
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Ahmed Kanna
-- Presenter
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Dr. Nadine Scharfenort
-- Presenter
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Dr. Sandra Petermann
-- Presenter
Presentations
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Ahmed Kanna
In this paper, I look at discourses of culture, locality, and ecology in the urban schemes of Gulf cities such as Abu Dhabi and Dubai. Along with China the contemporary Arab Gulf is undergoing an urbanization of massive proportions. Possessing approximately 40 percent of the world's proven oil reserves, the six countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council were devoting more than $2 trillion to construction projects before the financial crisis of 2008 [which did indeed slow construction, especially in Dubai, the economy most affected by the crisis]. Like China, architects view the Gulf, whose member states are governed by tiny elites disposing of immense wealth and nearly nonexistent labor and environmental regulation, as a liberating place in which to work. No Gulf country has been as aggressive in advancing top-down, large-scale urbanism as the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The rhetoric of local government officials, architects, and the media employs various discourses of progress and architectural radicalism to justify such projects. I analyze the discursive intersections between officials, experts, and local everyday actors as cities in the Gulf engage in urban entrepreneurialism or global "place wars."
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Dr. Leila Marie Rebecca Vignal
Janet Abu-Lughod, in her famous article of 1965 "Tale of Two Cities: The Origins of Modern Cairo", analysed the making of Cairo as a dual city following the erection of the modern city of Khedive Ismail next to the old medieval city. She characterised this process in terms of "bifurcation", "discontinuity" and "physical duality". For her, this "small crack" in the urban fabric "widened into a gaping fissure" over the XIXth century.
This communication intends to check the developments that take place in Cairo at the beginning of the XXIst century against Abu-Lughod's analytical framework, the "dual city". Cairo is indeed going through a major phase of its history. After decades of growth (mostly) at its "margins", public authorities, in conjunction with the private sector (national or from the Gulf countries) have set Cairo's future: in the desertic outskirts of the city, far from the in-built environment, promoting new economic 'globalised' activities and new ways of life - the majority of which are of an exclusive type. This bifurcation in the urban fabric seems to pave the way for a new dual city paradigm, which would juxtapose and generate a competition between different territories and different segments of society. Based on urban analysis, this presentation will discuss the extent and the limits of this new paradigm.
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Dr. Sandra Petermann
"Living like a pasha in the Medina" is the way local and international real-estate agencies have been advertising the purchase of a house in the old towns of Marrkakesh, Fhs or Essaouira in recent years. This slogan and similar are astounding, as according to scientific publications of the 1990s, the basic fabric of many residential buildings in the old cities of the Maghreb are falling into varying degrees of decay. This deterioration has also not been able to be hindered, neither by city planning suggestions nor the nomination of old cities to the UNESCO world heritage list.
This presentation firstly aims to illustrate an urban geographical perspective of the intensive reconstruction of the architectural urban design in the Medina of Marrakesh, spanning from the end of the 20th century until today, due to the increase of foreign immigrants from far less than 100 in the early 1990's to more than 2000 in 2009. Secondly, with a social geographical focus, I will establish the different effects this gentrification process has had on the social structure in the old city and discuss the self-images of the new Medina residents. Thirdly I will address in what manner Marrakesh serves for the new inhabitants as a paradise on earth, a place where all wishes seem to be fulfilled.
This paper is based on the research project "Gentrification in old towns of the Maghreb" which has been undertaken since 1999. In the last ten years the foreign-owned houses in the Medina of Marrakesh have been mapped and about 200 qualitative interviews were conducted with "New-Marrakshi" and local representatives. The interviews have been evaluated by way of a qualitative content analysis.
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Dr. Nadine Scharfenort
Requiem for Satwa: Postmodern reconstructions of urban spaces of modern authenticity
When in early 2008 the mega project Jumeirah Gardens was announced, it seemed to be just another ambitious realty project to support the city of Dubai a postmodern appearance. However, at a second glance, this time the consequences are reaching much further: To make room for the new development (an extension of the Dubai Financial Centre, Downtown Dubai, Dubai Business Bay) parts of already established quarters (Satwa, Al Wasl, Jumeirah) need to be destroyed while its former inhabitants are to be displaced. The approach of reconstructing urban spaces of modern authenticity is therefore the first of its kind in Dubai?s postmodern urban development history.
Especially Satwa, being one of the earliest developed quarters during the 1960ss modernization process, is perceived as one of Dubais most authentic and lively districts with a multitude of nationalities (due to cheap rents mainly lower and middle class inhabitants of Arabian and Asian origin) living and working close by.
The announcement of the new project was followed by an unexpected and widespread outrage and ,,grief over the loss of Satwa [as] a symptom of the emotions that an urban public feels at not being engaged in transitional initiatives, or finding a place in history for their fading neighbourhoods" (Kaabour 2008). The accusation that a massive cultural heritage - domestic and commercial - will not be preserved for future generations, found its expression in various action groups headed by independent journalists, movie-makers and artists.
Due to the recent bank and financial crisis the ongoing economic development leading to a delay of construction projects in Dubai, not much has been heard of the Jumeirah Gardens project. Nevertheless, the first demolishing works already took place in September 2008 and have destroyed dwellings irrevocably.
This paper focuses on the very micro level of a city, namely the quarter with its specific identity and inner relationships by the example of Satwa/Dubai. First, I aim to analyze the quarters structure, spaces of urban identity and (ethnic) interactions of its inhabitants. Second, I mean to interpret the postmodern reconstruction of urban spaces by taking urban development processes (e.g. gentrification) into account. Third, I will address in what manner unprecedented active participation occurs as a bottom-up call against progressing urban amnesia from new post-oil-citieso societies in the Arab Gulf region by exploiting communication mediums.
