Browsing by Subject "Middle East"
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Item The advertising construction of identity in Lebanese television(2010-08) Nasr, Assem; Wilkins, Karin Gwinn, 1962-; Straubhaar, Joseph D.; Kackman, Michael; Kraidy, Marwan M.; Kumar, ShantiThe Middle East saw much social change in recent tumultuous decades. On one hand, some communities embraced Westernness as part of the inevitable path to development and modernization. On the other hand, there were communities that resisted global trends that were mostly dominated by the West. The latter deemed these trends as a threat to native cultures, religious groups, and local traditions. This made the Arab world a ground for constant redefinition of the meaning of identity. Of the countries in the region undergoing a turbulent debate over what constitutes national identity, Lebanon serves as a good example. Ever since its independence, Lebanon was a nation-state with no sense of nationality to unite its people. As some communities saw themselves more francophone than Arab, others felt a close connection to a pan-Arab nation. Arguably, the Lebanese people found themselves amidst a tension between the two poles. Defining one’s identity required a negotiation between the two extremes. Not only did this negotiation demand a thorough investigation of one’s beliefs, social network, and history, but it also necessitated a diligent ‘performance’ of identity. An individual represented her identity by habits and expressions that she associated with that particular identity. The study at hand is an exploration of the relationship between identity and consumption in the Lebanese society. This project applies a unique approach in that it considers the producers’ agency in the construction of identity. Taking television advertising as a site for inquiry, the study explores how commercial advertisers utilize the tension between the local and the non-local to promote the consumption of the advertised products. Through exploring the values that educate advertising producers’ choices in creating text and meaning, this study applies theories of globalization, postcolonial studies, and consumer behavior through which advertisers manifest an ambivalence of identity. Therefore, by taking Lebanon as an example and focusing on advertising, this study contributes to the debates of globalization and the Arab world by invoking questions of producers’ agency in producing identity references through attitudes, behaviors, and social status associated with the featured products.Item The Arab street : a photographic exploration(2009-12) Cheney, Clifford Sidney; Darling, Dennis Carlyle; Reed, EllisJournalists use the term Arab Street to describe what they often imply is a volatile Arabic public opinion. This photo story travels through four Arab areas or Jordan, Qatar, Israel/Palestine and Egypt in order to show the diversity and complexity of each. The media’s tendency to lump all Arabs into one political block is detrimental to a true sense of cultural understanding that is required for peace.Item Between gift and taboo : death and the negotiation of national identity and sovereignty in the Kurdish conflict in Turkey(2010-05) Ozsoy, Hisyar; Hale, Charles R., 1957-; Ali, Kamran Asdar, 1961-; Visweswaran, Kamala; Strong, Pauline T.; Rudrappa, SharmilaThis dissertation explores politico-symbolic deployments of death in figurations of national identity and sovereignty in the Kurdish conflict in Turkey. Many Kurds have died in their successive rebellions over the last century. However, biological death has not necessarily excluded them from Kurdish culture and politics. Rather, through a symbolic economy of “gift” the Kurds resurrect their dead as martyrs – affective forces that powerfully shape public, political and daily life and promote Kurdish national identity as a sacred communion of the dead and the living. For its own part, the Turkish state has been endeavoring to eradicate this persistent power of the Kurdish dead by obstructing their appropriation and assimilation into the regenerative realms of Kurdish national-symbolic. While these struggles are still in effect, with the shift in Kurdish politics away from the original goal of national independence in 1999, the Kurdish dead emerged as a site of contention also among the Kurds. At least until 2005 the place of the dead in Kurdish politics also shifted with a new politics of memory that the leadership of Kurdish movement initiated to buttress the “peace process”. Based on two-year fieldwork in Diyarbakır, the informal capital of Kurds in Turkey, this study explores the Kurdish political imaginaries and subjectivities that are generated in and through these multiple struggles and contentions over the Kurdish dead, situating death as a central symbolic and semantic field constitutive to national identity and sovereignty. This study contributes to the ethnography of the Kurds, Turkey and the Middle East as well as theories of death, the body, nationalism, sovereignty and political subjectivity.Item Cairo ecologies : water in social and material cycles(2014-05) Farmer, Tessa Rose; Ali, Kamran Asdar, 1961-This dissertation investigates the ways in which the natural and the social overlap in the symbolic center of human activity, cities. Cities are full of living organisms, existing not in a perfect state of equilibrium but rather in states of constant flux. The cycles of life moving through the city of Cairo, Egypt are dependent on water as a vital component and scarce resource in systems of biological exchange, as well as one among many pieces of infrastructure that the city requires to survive. This dissertation looks at the informal systems that residents of a squatter settlement in Cairo, Egypt called Ezbet Khairallah have created to make life possible, as well as their attempts to get the state to formally provide these services; work that is done at collective scales and in everyday practices. The dissertation also looks at what happens when areas such as Ezba are successful in getting the state to recognize them and institutionalize utility services, what the hidden costs and unintended consequences are of becoming formal end users of state systems. The dissertation provides an overview of the forces at work in shaping Cairo, highlighting the rural to urban migration patterns and shifting urban policy over the course of the 20th century that have funneled so many into informal housing settlements. In addition, the dissertation highlights the particular material history of Ezbet Khairallah, and how that has shaped the social and material circumstances of residents. It examines the material and affective implications of being unable to escape waste, of bodies that bear signs of systems that both make life possible and make life difficult. By studying the institutional framework in which these questions get worked out in Egypt, we can better situate the struggles of those living in the urban margins of the global south, such as those in Ezbet Khairallah.Item Conflict in the Middle East: an analysis(Texas Tech University, 1968-08) Perman, Moses H.NOT AVAILABLEItem The family and the making of women's rights activism in Lebanon(2009-05) Stephan, Rita Toufic; Charrad, M. (Mounira)This research explores how Lebanese women's rights activists use their kinship system to pursue citizenship rights and political recognition. Building on social movements, social capital, and feminist theories, I argue that Lebanese women's rights activists leverage support from their kin groups and adhere to the behavioral norms set by the kinship system in order to gain access, build capacity and advance their movement's goals and strategies. In investigating the impact of being embedded in--or autonomous from--kinship structure on activism, my research suggests that Lebanese women's rights activists interact with their kin groups at three levels. Firstly, at the level of becoming an activist, some women obtain direct support and encouragement from their nuclear and extended family, while others rise through alternative networks such as membership in a political party or a professional union. At the personal strategies level, some activists utilize their family support and kinship networks to establish their activist identities and facilitate their civic engagement, while others use collegial and professional networks. Finally, on the organizational level, women's rights organizations pursue women's empowerment in the context of their role in the family, dissolving the divide between women's rights in the sphere of legal equality and women's rights within the family. Women's relation to kinship is significant in explaining how they form their activist identity and construct their activism, regardless whether they use embedded or autonomous strategies. Activists receive empowerment and support from the family in advancing their goals and consider family members as important forces in shaping their journeys to activism. In the same vein, the kinship system contributes to determining actors' social status at the outset; its networks potentially grant activists access to the public sphere; and its name and ties endows activists with public trust and respect. Lebanese activists expand on the capabilities provided for them by their kin groups to enhance women’s status in their public as well as private roles.Item Festivals : the culture and politics of Mahraganat music in Egypt(2015-05) Benchouia, Tarek Adam; El-Ariss, Tarek; Merabet, SofianThis thesis is an ethnographic study that explores the culture and politics of a contemporary and emergent genre of music in Egypt. Mahraganat ("festivals") describes an energetic musical movement that locates its genealogy in Egyptian Folk music as well as North American Hip-Hop and European Electronica. Although originally produced in the peripheral neighborhoods of Cairo and Alexandria, the performance of Mahraganat has permeated throughout the variable spaces of urban Egypt. Through a focus on critical performance ethnography, and in dialogue with affect theory, sound studies, and Middle Eastern studies, I situate Mahraganat as a lived and felt phenomenon among a youthful generation of Egyptians. This project poses critical questions that aim to open a dialogue in the literature concerning the affective and political horizons of Mahraganat music, including: how do Mahraganat's aficionados feel their way through the suspenseful moment of a post-Mubarak, post-Arab Spring, and post-Muslim Brotherhood Egypt? Also, what are the political implications and possibilities that co-emerge with the irruption of this genre and its accompanying modes of performance? With an emphasis on the body as an important site of political contestation and possibility, I argue that both the formal components of Mahraganat music and the ways in which it is listened to challenge existing modes of being and constitute new and proliferating forms of belonging that are simultaneously homegrown and transnational for a young and disenfranchised group of Egyptian men.Item The GCC pivot to Asia : the security of US interests in the Arabian Gulf(2015-05) Kaiser-Cross, Sarah Elizabeth; Suri, Jeremi; Hutchings, RobertThe Gulf Cooperation Council's pivot to Asia began as a slow process of economic integration in the early 2000s but significantly accelerated after the US Shale Revolution, beginning in 2008. As US production increased and imports from foreign oil suppliers declined, many expected the relationships between the US and its GCC partners to similarly decline. The emerging markets of Asia and rising demand from China captured GCC interest. The GCC nations took steps to diversify their markets away from the US. Economic cooperation morphed into budding diplomatic and strategic relationships between the GCC and China. Meanwhile, the US, no longer as reliant on GCC energy, restructured its foreign policy toward the GCC around defense cooperation and human rights. Though US-GCC relationships remained relatively strong, the uprisings of the Arab Spring resulted in mounting US criticism of GCC human rights violations, weakening US leverage in the region. The Chinese took advantage of US-GCC tension, offering an alternative model of diplomatic engagement-- ignoring human rights. Arab populations saw the economic rise of China as an alternative diplomatic model, one that prioritized economic development without attaching political strings to bilateral relationships. Some GCC nations also viewed Chinese influence as a potential foil to US influence in the region. Despite budding local support for stronger ties with China, the Chinese are not able to displace US influence in the Gulf yet because China is unable to provide the quality or quantity of defense sales and cooperation the US provides. In the long-term, though, Chinese policies will likely present a challenge to US influence in the Gulf. The US should reexamine its policies on human rights promotion and reevaluate its strategic interests to protect the short and long term interests of the US in a region of great geostrategic importance.Item Modeling Building Energy Use and HVAC Efficiency Improvements in Extreme Hot and Humid Regions(2011-10-21) Bible, MitchellAn energy analysis was performed on the Texas A & M University at Qatar building in Doha, Qatar. The building and its HVAC systems were modeled using EnergyPlus. Building chilled water and electrical data were collected to validate the computer simulation. The simulated monthly electricity consumption was within plus/minus 5 percent of the metered building data. Ninety-five percent of simulated hourly electricity data in a day were within plus/minus 10 percent of metered data. Monthly chilled water demand was within plus/minus 18 percent of measurements, and simulated monthly demand was correlated to metered monthly values with an R-squared correlation coefficient of 0.95. Once the simulation was verified with the metered data, an optimization of the building's HVAC systems was performed. Better utilizing the building's variable speed fans at part loads showed potential annual electricity savings of 16 percent over the base case, with another 22 percent savings in chilled water energy. After converting chilled water savings to equivalent chiller electricity savings, the potential utility cost savings over the base case were found to be $90,000/yr at local utility rates. Reducing outdoor air intake to ASHRAE indoor air quality minimums yielded an additional 17 percent in potential chilled water savings and brought total monetary savings over the base case to $110,000/yr. Using a dedicated outside air system to precisely control individual zone ventilation showed potential for an additional 12 percent chilled water savings and $14,000 in yearly utility savings, while also eliminating cases of under-ventilation. A hypothetical retrofit of fan powered terminal units (FPTU's) resulted in energy savings only at very low minimum flow rates, below ventilation standards. Savings were never more than 20 percent over the no-fan case. Series FPTU's showed no savings at any flow setting and negligible difference was found between ECM and SCR motor control. Finally, the dependence on climate of each improvement was studied. Simulations were run in the relatively milder climates of Houston and Phoenix and compared to those found for Doha. It was found that variable speed fan operation is a more cost effective option for milder climates, while outside air control is more cost effective in extreme hot and humid climates such as Doha. Future study is needed to make the FPTU model valid for different climates and flow ranges.Item Mothers' Perceptions of Community Integration Opportunities for Children with Disabilities in Qatar(2009-12-14) Abbs, Alyn KThis study analyzed the perceptions of mothers of children with disabilities in Qatar. This interpretive work included components of the methodology of both cultural study and translation study. Mothers' responses in Arabic and Farsi, were translated, separated, and analyzed through inductive analysis of data from translated interviews according to 22 thematic categories. Translators were questioned after each interview, and the personal interactions with mothers, both verbally and non-verbally, provided added substance to the delicate process of naturalistic inquiry. Forty mothers of one or more children with moderate to severe disabilities from age four to 19 participated in the interviews. Their children attended the same education center for children with disabilities in Doha, Qatar. Mothers shared about their daily routines with their children, activities within the home, activities in the community, and needs they saw within the community to remove social and physical barriers that hindered access to the community for those with disabilities. Due to a high prevalence rate of disability and social issues that limited access to service provisions, many individuals with disabilities had not received services in Qatar. The pervasive need for community resources, such as genetic counseling, appropriate medical facilities and care, and appropriate and inclusive schooling opportunities were reported. At the most basic levels of the education system, children with disabilities need to be present to foster greater awareness and acceptance of persons with disabilities. The education reform in Qatar has instituted change on a small scale level for a few children with mild disabilities, but this effort must be further expanded. The data showed various impacts of disability on families. Results indicated that disability changed the way daily life was carried out and the activities that families participated in together within the home. Disability also readjusted the way families participated in the community. Community integration or lack thereof, affected the family life of those with children with disabilities in Qatar. These data reflected a lack of resources in a community where mothers expressed a desire for a more inclusive atmosphere for individuals with disabilities.Item The political impact of Islamic banking in Jordan(2011-08) Malley, Mohammed Mathew; Henry, Clement M., 1937-; Higley, John; Boone, Catherine; McDonald, Patrick; El-Gamal, MahmoudThis dissertation examines Islamic banking in Jordan. It is argued that institutions perceived as culturally authentic may play important political roles in a post-colonial society. Islamic banking in particular can both function in a modern, globalized economy and express cultural tradition. It may help to legitimate Jordan’s political structures and overcome social and economic bifurcations between traditional and modern sectors of society. Jordan is a part of a region of the world in which the colonial experience continues to have an enduring legacy. What had previously been a tribal Bedouin society was transformed almost overnight. Its modern banking system transgressed Islamic norms and laws and excluded huge portions of the population who continued to see meaning in the religious values and principles rooted in the social and cultural institutions that had just been trampled upon. This dissertation looks into how Islamic banks that interact in a global economy while remaining true to culturally authentic beliefs and practices can begin to close the gaps between state practice and popular beliefs. The strongest opposition to the monarchy in Jordan has come from political Islamists who feed upon popular discontent and alienation caused by the practices and actions of a ruling elite that does not share the same cultural values as the majority of the population. Much of what the Islamists espouse, while culturally authentic, is removed from the political, financial, and economic realities of the modern era. Islamic banking thus has the potential to play a mediating role between a modernizing elite and this Islamist backlash. This dissertation will test the extent to which cultural authenticity matters by observing how Islamic banks in Jordan have been able to tap into a latent demand for alternative financial practices and how the Islamic financial movement relates to Islamist political movements. Although Islamic banking has not achieved its full potential, the dissertation presents strong evidence of its capacity to bridge divisions between state and society.Item Power sector reform and renewable energy in the MENA region : a study of interaction between these two initiatives in the UAE, Egypt and Morocco(2012-05) Eyges, Eric; Aghaie, Kamran Scot; Aghaie, Kamran ScotIn light of the Arab Spring, media professionals and academics have expanded the scope of their focus on the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. Yet, relatively little attention has been paid to two powerful forces that could significantly affect its economic and political landscape: power sector reform and renewable energy development initiatives. This paper attempts to outline the history and future of these initiatives in the region by focusing on three MENA region countries, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), with a focus on Abu Dhabi, along with Egypt, and Morocco. Furthermore, this paper analyzes how these two initiatives are affecting one another in the context of the domestic political landscape and economy. The results of this analysis point to three key aspects of power sector reform initiatives affecting domestic renewable energy development: the level of governmental financial supervision, electricity subsidies, and the terms of engagement between the state-run single buyer utility and independent power producers (IPPs).Item 'Revenge of the virtuous women' : framing of gender and violence by Palestinian militant organizations(2011-05) Zarrugh, Amina Riad; Young, Michael P.From 2002 to 2006, ten Palestinian women committed suicide attacks against Israeli civilians and military personnel, resulting in more fatalities and wounded noncombatants on average than attacks by male perpetrators. Rather than examining individual women’s motivations to become a suicide bomber, this research endeavor seeks to shift focus from this prevailing analytical approach to a sociological analysis of how militant organizations frame female participation to the public. Social movement perspectives and an extension of Erving Goffman’s work on frame analysis theoretically inform an examination of media produced by the two non-secular militant organizations of Hamas and Palestine Islamic Jihad. Organizations attempt to mitigate the “broken frame” introduced by female incorporation into an overwhelmingly male enterprise by strategically creating new frames that exalt and reinterpret extant social norms. Organizations frame female perpetrators as un-feminine individuals prior to their actions but, through the act of martyrdom, frame them as feminized symbols of the threat posed to Palestinian society, and its gender order, by Israeli military presence in the occupied territories. Martyrdom is framed, physically and symbolically, as a transformative experience. An application of frame analysis to violent social movements offers researchers the opportunity to understand how groups attempt to garner support and advance their interests within their populations and abroad.Item Russia’s role in the Middle East : Russian weapons sales to the Syrian Arab Republic, 1950-2010(2010-12) Poltoratskaia, Tatiana; Pedahzur, Ami; Moser, RobertIn this paper I look at the evolving role of Russia in the Middle East, analyzing transfers of Russian military equipment to its main ally in the region, the Syrian Arab Republic. By using Syria as a case study, I provide insight as to the evolution of Russia’s Middle Eastern policy, examine the motivations that play a role in Moscow’s decision-making process and the discuss the changes that have taken place in the Middle East military landscape. My research illustrates that Russia is a prestige seeking state that is motivated my domestic issues. Furthermore, sixty years of arms transfers indicate that Russia has never sold game-changing weapons to Syria as this would be counterproductive to Moscow’s main goal in the region: the brokering of a new Middle East peace deal.