Alraouf, Ali. 2016. Museums as a Catalyst for a New
Urban and Cultural Identity in Qatar Interrogating the Case of Museum of
Islamic Art. In Museums in Arabia: Transnational Practices and Regional
Processes. Pp: 151-166
Exell, Karen and Wakefield, Sarina (eds.) (Ashgate:
UK, 2016).
About
the Book
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.
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