Rana AlMutawa | Unveiling Dubai's Complex Social Fabric

Host Mikey Muhanna talks to Rana AlMutawa, Assistant Professor of Social Research and Public Policy at NYU Abu Dhabi and author of "Everyday Life in the Spectacular City, Making Home in Dubai." They delve into the misunderstood complexities of Dubai's social dynamics, exploring urban ethnography, the mislabeling of spaces as "fake" or "authentic" and the city's multifaceted social hierarchies. AlMutawa provides insights into the real and significant social lives created within Dubai's often-criticized spaces, such as shopping malls, and challenges Western-centric viewpoints on the city's development and social structure.

 

00:00 Introduction

05:29 Understanding Urban Ethnography

08:59 Middle-Class Dynamics in Dubai

14:16 Neoliberalism and Urban Spaces

17:50 Exclusions in Public Spaces

25:07 Authenticity and Exoticization

27:02 Research Methodology in Urban Ethnography

29:31 Social Hierarchies in Dubai

31:31 Complexities of Privilege in Dubai

32:33 Diverse Urban Spaces and Social Interactions

37:03 Malls as Social Newspapers

40:23 Personalities of Different Malls

45:50 Inclusivity and Accessibility in Public Spaces

49:32 Comparing Cities in the UAE

57:16 Double Standards in Global Cities

01:01:35 Further Reading

 

Rana AlMutawa is an Assistant Professor of Social Research and Public Policy at New York University Abu Dhabi. She focuses on urban ethnography, social hierarchies (race, class, gender, citizenship, Orientalism, and social distinction), and belonging. She completed her doctoral training at the University of Oxford in 2021 and published her first book "Everyday Life in the Spectacular City: Making Home in Dubai" in 2024 with the University of California Press.

Connect with Rana AlMutawa  👉 

https://instagram.com/Rana_almutawa

Hosted by: 
Mikey Muhanna 👉 https://www.instagram.com/mikey_mu/?hl=en-gb

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