CHAPTER 2. UNDERSTANDING THE CULTURE AND YOUTH IN UAE

2.1 IMPORTANCE OF HISTORY AND CULTURE IN THE UAE
In the recent years, we have witnessed rapid globalization which has helped reducing distances between nations in turn developing new and stronger relations and creating a singular place, but this has somehow led to de-centering and desolation of identities.
‘The social change, as a result, introduces significant alteration of social structures where social structures mean patterns of social action and interaction. Globalization has therefore created the need for identity.
Many societies are attempting to rediscover and define their sense of self (often referred to as national identity) in a world that is rapidly producing cosmopolitan societies driven by economic powers.’ [Al-Khouri, 2010]

UAE over the past 40 years has experienced a similar kind of rapid change and urbanization. Since the discovery of oil in the 1960, UAE has developed a global and cosmopolitan image. This new image brought with it foreign cultures and traditions to this land. ‘This new image is based on a modernist ethos of tabula rasa and abstraction and has had devastating consequences on the representation of social and cultural structures. While cultural heritage underlines the relevance of historical, cultural and social anchors, the rapid modern urbanization of the UAE is erasing its genius loci.’ [Radoine, 2013]

Somewhere under all this change, the rich culture of the fishing and pearl