FROM HISTORY TO MEMORY: QATARI WOMEN AND THE BIRTH OF THE NATION STATE

Abstract

There are a number of texts that have been written on Qatar’s history, most of which are lacking and political. In this thesis, senior Qatari women are approached as source for knowledge production on Qatar’s history and the birth of the nation-state. Their narratives, or counter-narratives, are a viewed as a form of resistance to the cultural hegemonic narratives presented in various institutions, such as museums. This thesis looks at the lived realities of women, and challenges the misogynistic historical representation of Qatari women. It also looks at the way senior women identify beyond the nation, beyond tribe, and beyond territory, rather their identities are shaped by land, and by the area they live in and the people they live among. The aim of the thesis is to simply document women’s memories of the past, to get a glimpse of the possibilities of having histories of Qatar rather then one common, often narrated, history.

Date of Award	2019
Original language	American English
Awarding Institution	HBKU College of Humanities and Social Science