Throughout my time in the United Arab Emirates, I occasionally posted impressionist or evaluative generalists about society, politics and culture. I’m not going to stray away from these—to do so would make this a very dry blog—but a conversation I had towards the end of my stay gave me pause.
The British-Kashmiri designer had a good friend, an older Brit who’s done consulting in the UAE since Blair supported the Iraq invasion and he jumped ship. He asked me what I thought of Dubai, and before I could answer, responded that he was frustrated by the many Europeans and Americans who described it as a plastic city without a history. He argued that Westerners have specific, concrete ideas of the cornerstones (cobblestones, old buildings and churches, places where documents were signed) and because we can’t find evidence of such a physical history, we believe the UAE is artificial and ahistorical. He argued that buildings were easy for the foreigner to experience and understand, but a wealth of oral history, and long-lasting cultural tradition were far more difficult for the non-native to access.
I experienced just the very surface of life in the UAE. I can make observations, but I am aware that there’s probably a lot going on under the water. This is true about a foreigner’s commentary anywhere, but particularly important in a society where it is hard to gain access.
I just arrived in Japan, and will be posting about Greece (and hopefully getting this up-to-date) over the next few days.
Edit: After reading over this post, it feels like an apology for the one below it. I don't mean for it to be at all-- it was just a conversation that seemed worth mentioning.
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