GRIP transversal seminar: The terrains of the global

Inalco-Maison de la recherche, 2 rue de Lille, room L0.01, 10am-12pm and online

Habibul Haque Khondker (Zayed University, Abu Dhabi)

Dubai Showcasing Globalization, Abu Dhabi doing Glocalization: A Tale of Two Cities

The United Arab Emirates is a test case of national development where globalization, broadly defined, has resulted in remarkable and superlative achievements in economic and infrastructural development. The Emirates of Dubai and Abu Dhabi, the economic hub and the political capital respectively are also the two major cities of the UAE. As cities both Dubai, where the tallest building of the world is located and Abu Dhabi, the location of the Louvre, among other cultural hubs have attracted worldwide attention. Using the concepts of globalization and glocalization, the present paper explores the developments in Dubai and Abu Dhabi since the beginning of the new millennium. The main argument of the paper is that Dubai is pursuing globalization as a goal because of the socio-economic circumstances as Abu Dhabi is pursuing the path of glocalization for both economic and cultural developments. The paper, then reflects on the consequences of the two pathways showing some lessons in national developments as well as conceptual refinements.