Date Thesis Awarded

6-2013

Access Type

Honors Thesis -- Access Restricted On-Campus Only

Degree Name

Bachelors of Arts (BA)

Department

Global Studies

Advisor

Sibel Zandi-Sayek

Committee Members

Salih Can Aciksoz

Anne K. Rasmussen

Abstract

Place, or the physical environment, offers a valuable lens for examining how public and private voices in Oman have constructed conceptions of national identity in the decades following the 1970 "Renaissance." To unify fragmented and beleaguered people groups within the nation-state established in 1970, government and many private narratives have looked to Oman's physical environment -- in particular, its location, natural environments, and defensive architecture -- in imagining its collective identity and distinctiveness. First, located on multiple edges and therefore at a meeting point, narratives highlight Oman's location at the crossing of historic trade and exchange routes. Second, many narratives emphasize the variety within Oman's natural environment as a feature that is unique in the region and reflects the culture and diversity of the population. Finally, the Omani government is creating a recognizable urban identity using defensive motifs that reference Oman's role as a crossroads as well as its natural environment. An examination of these three appropriations of place reveals that the construction of Omani national narratives is complex and far from seamless as public and private voices attempt to negotiate conflicting historical memories.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 License.

Comments

Thesis is part of Honors ETD pilot project, 2008-2013. Migrated from Dspace in 2016.

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