When there is X, then there is Y (Curaden case study)

The UAE is a fascinating study in nation building, because the country is so new. The self-narrative it’s adopting, which is based on geographic specificity and borders, permeates the place in palpable ways. I’m always contending with those other images, but I don’t want my work to be seen as a response––that would only give the fabricated images more significance. I’ve always been curious about how liberal values are defined and expressed in a place that still has a lot of pockets of tribal life.

If we think about the history of feminism as it has come to be defined by the West, there’s this idea that there exists a constant upward progression, which usually results in greater mobility, greater equality, etc. But in other parts of the world, it’s difficult to measure progress by what we’re actually seeing. In the Emirates, for example, gender roles have changed in ways that aren’t completely visible in day-to-day life. Before the Union in the 1971––when Sharjah, Fujairah, Ajman, and Fujairah joined with Abu Dhabi and Dubai to create the UAE––women were a much more visible part of society: they would go out, do their own errands, and they didn’t necessarily wear head scarves. Women were especially crucial to the movement for independence from British Imperialism, despite the fact that the cosmetic image of the resistance is a bunch of men sitting in a room, forming allyships. As oil revenue grew, the idea of the woman as a figure whose value should be in line with ideals of Western feminism––in the sense that she should have corporate success, and be in positions within government that lend her privileges and power––became more popular. But at the expense of who?