Jeel Al-Taybeen: Reimagining Narratives of Heritage and Identity in Qatar

Abstract

Qatari identity today is based on reductive narratives of the past, such as that of jeel al-taybeen – which can be translated as ‘Generation of the Good’, a nostalgic term. However, there is a much more nuanced history of the state and social depictions of identity and heritage. The most common narrative today is that of a static past, characterized by jeel al-taybeen, which was changed by the discovery of oil and rapid modernization resulting in the ‘developed’ modern Qatar of today. This narrative is static and depicts Qatari people as a monolith, rendering traditions and heritage as exclusive and unchanging, despite the reality of a constantly evolving identity today. This thesis relies mainly on Gilles Deleuze and Felix Guattari’s A Thousand Plateaus in its approach to Qatar history and identity, with two main case studies (plateaus) of clothing and museums to reimagine and contextualize Qatari heritage and identity. The main purpose of this thesis is to humanize this nostalgic and mythic past, and attempt to portray it more realistically by nuancing existing depictions of identity and heritage. This is an important area of study in Qatar especially, as modern Qatari identity is dependent on tradition and heritage.