1st Edition

Everyday Youth Cultures in the Gulf Peninsula Changes and Challenges

Edited By Emanuela Buscemi, Ildiko Kaposi Copyright 2021
    260 Pages 19 B/W Illustrations
    by Routledge

    280 Pages 19 B/W Illustrations
    by Routledge

    Focusing on the struggles of youth in the Arabian Gulf to find their place in their encounters with modernity, Everyday Youth Cultures in the Gulf Peninsula explores how global forces are reshaping everyday cultural experiences in authoritarian societies.

    A deeper understanding of Gulf youth emerges from reading about the everyday lives and struggles, opportunities, and contributions of youth who, in the process of developing their personal identities, are also incrementally transforming their societies and cultures. Based on ethnographic fieldwork in Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar, the chapters bring fresh insight into Gulf youth microcultures from the ground and invite dialogue by engaging young local and foreign academics in the discussion.

    In light of the general difficulties of accessing Gulf societies, the book’s nuanced, richly detailed depictions of everyday life can be of interest to academic research in Middle East studies, youth sociology, political science and anthropology, as well as to business and governmental decision-making.

    Introduction: Gulf Youth Cultures in the Everyday Emanuela Buscemi and Ildikó Kaposi

    Part 1. Spaces of Engagement and Contestation

    1. Reshaping Political Participation in Nondemocratic Regimes: Youth Initiatives and Urban Practices in Kuwait
    2. Emanuela Buscemi

    3. The Saudi YouTube Phenomenon: From Anarchism to Institutionalism
    4. Marwa Ehsan Fakih

    5. The Amiri Diwan and Kuwait’s Cultural Renaissance
    6. Muneera Mohammed

      Part 2. Traditions and Innovations

    7. Engaging Young People in Charity in the State of Kuwait
    8. Soha M. Alterkait

    9. Youth and Religion in a Landscape of Change: Reflections on Practicing Ibadi-Islam in Oman
    10. Corina Lozovan

    11. When Love is Neither Showing nor Giving:. The Challenges of Valentine’s Day in Oman
    12. Marion Breteau

      Part 3. Sociabilities and Identities

    13. "Facing Life Together": Everyday Friendship and Well-Being among Dubai’s Indian Diaspora

      David Sancho
    14. Are You What You Eat? The Vegans of Kuwait
    15. Ildikó Kaposi

      9. "They Know What They Want, and They Don’t Settle for Less": Exploring Entrepreneurial Identity Formation among Young Women Entrepreneurs in Kuwait

      Melissa E. Langworthy

      Part 4. Practices of Inclusion in Education

        10.  Juvenile Improvisations: Designing for Youth in Abu Dhabi

      Nadia Mounajjed

        11.  Islamic Education and Youth Culture: Exploring Tolerance in UAE Islamic Education   Classrooms

      Naved Bakali and Mariam Alhashmi

        12.  English Language Poetry and Qatari Students

    Magda Rostron and Robert Marcacci

    Conclusions

    Ildikó Kaposi and Emanuela Buscemi

    Biography

    Emanuela Buscemi teaches at the University of Monterrey (Mexico) after being based at the American University of Kuwait. She holds a Ph.D. in sociology from the University of Aberdeen (Scotland). Her research interests include activism, resistance, gender politics in the Arabian Gulf and Latin America.

    Ildikó Kaposi is assistant professor at the Department of Mass Communication and Media of the Gulf University for Science and Technology, Kuwait. She holds a Ph.D. in political science from Central European University, Budapest. Her work focuses on issues of democracy from the perspective of media and communication.