Authenticating an Emirati Art World: Claims of Tabula Rasa and Cultural Appropriation in the UAE

Abstract

Following a brief history of the development of arts initiatives and arts practice in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), this article then focuses on claims of tabula rasa and cultural appropriation that, at their core, are contests over the authenticity of such initiatives. In so doing, universal Enlightenment-derived paradigms of authenticity are challenged. In addition, the role of place is discussed, and it is claimed that, in this context, the concept of “cultural appropriation” is another form of the authenticity argument. I show how these situated claims of authenticity, or the absence thereof, become a means to discredit Khaleeji (Gulf) arts scenes, and to reiterate the superiority and dominance of US and European regimes of knowledge and expertise. The article also focuses on the erasures that ensue from these claims, which reiterate a Bedouin heritage and further an ethno-nationalist conception of the state.

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