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" Sociopolitical Narratives and Contestations in Kuwait's Creative Sector Post-2012 "
Alshammari, Abrar Dahham Tarak
Adely, Fida
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Latin Dissertation
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| Language of Document
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English
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| Record Number
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1052265
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| Doc. No
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TL51382
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| Main Entry
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Alshammari, Abrar Dahham Tarak
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| Title & Author
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Sociopolitical Narratives and Contestations in Kuwait's Creative Sector Post-2012\ Alshammari, Abrar Dahham TarakAdely, Fida
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| College
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Georgetown University
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| Date
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2019
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| Degree
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M.A.
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2019
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| Note
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122 p.
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| Abstract
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Historically, cultural production and diplomacy have played important roles in many of the major events of Kuwaiti history. In this study, I explore contemporary examples from Kuwait’s rich history of social movements by focusing on the emergence of creative cultural spaces and cultural producers between 2013 and 2018. I argue that following a period of regression in political spaces and liberties, an intellectual migration of youth towards creative cultural activities took place. These spaces have become sites for contestation with both state and non-state forces. The term ‘culture’ in my study is used to refer to creative acts, creations and performances, inclusive of theatre, music, dance, literature, poetry, and more recently, digital media. This study is based on fieldwork carried out in Kuwait over the summer of 2018, deriving from interviews with various cultural producers, ranging from poets and writers to artists and musicians. I also distributed two surveys, one in English and one in Arabic. With a shrinking of political avenues and spaces, coupled with new technologies, young people in Kuwait underwent an intellectual migration, whereby they shifted their time and energy from political advocacy towards creative cultural production and activism. This was coupled with a flourishing of grassroots, non-governmental cultural activities and initiatives that swept Kuwait, ranging from literature and poetry to music, theatre and dance. Alongside these non-governmental initiatives, the state introduced its own new institutions: the National Fund for SME (Small to Medium Enterprises) in 2013, the Ministry of Youth in 2013, Jaber Al Ahmad Cultural Centre (JACC, informally known as the Opera House) in 2016, Al Shaheed Park in 2016, and Abdullah Al Salem Cultural Centre (ASCC) in 2018. On the surface, the flourishing of arts and culture looks like a positive development; these platforms offer various communities a space to debate, discuss, and challenge the status quo. They serve as alternatives in the absence of genuinely democratic political processes. And they have allowed groups such as citizens, expatriates, and stateless individuals to get to know one another in a space that is friendly and provides a platform for shared understanding and a mutual passion for the arts and culture. A closer inspection reveals that the emergence of these spaces did not go uncontested, by both the executive and the legislative branch. Cultural activities and institutions have become a site of proxy contestation between the executive and the legislative branches, and cultural producers continue to navigate the challenges of censorship and bureaucracy.
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| Descriptor
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Middle Eastern studies
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Performing arts
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Sociology
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Adely, Fida
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Georgetown University
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