WORLDS APART: SELECTIVE MODERNIZATION IN DUBAI

The Dubai Frame has recently been placed in the city, acting as a metaphorical and physical severance it separates the old part from the new part of  towering skyscrapers and architectural marvels in the city.. This is the perfect allegory for the effect of social and economic changes taking place in Dubai today. There is this constant tussle between popular perceptions of the Islamic orthodoxy and the growing modernization of Dubai. The city has witnessed a trend of selective modernization by the state, where it actively chooses aspects of the society it wishes to modernize. One of the major proponents of this culture of modernization is the royal family and elites themselves, who have holdings in major companies. For them, modernity is capitalism. The city today has become a perfect example of neo liberal capitalism with tall skyscrapers, some in contorted shapes, to invite further foreign investment.

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Just like any other state, in the early period of its modernization, there is a clear conflict between the old and the new. For instance, in 2017, when the government announced its plans to colonize Mars, it contradicted the fatwa by religious authorities against manned travel to the red planet. Further, today the government chooses to identify itself as an Islamic State and does not recognize conversions in any other religion other than to Islam. The latter is indicative of a coercive force, without any direct use of violence by the state. Apostacy, essentially the renunciation of one’s religion, is something that is not allowed by law either. In a country that is planning to go to Mars, forms of public display of affection, such as kissing, lead to deportation and homosexuality are illegal.

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There are of course more explicit instances of selective modernization as well. The government recently released its own font, used for official correspondences, to present to promote the idea of freedom of speech in the city. Yet, the irony here is that the state has a strict policy on any sort of criticism towards the government. According to Amnesty International, the government “arbitrarily restrict the rights to freedom of expression and association.” Websites are blocked and critics are taken into custody. The Counter Terrorism Law of 2014 mentions the death penalty for those who “undermine national unity or social peace.” Sadly enough, the law fails to define both terms, giving state authorities leeway to detain whoever they deem a threat. Most critics are either given jail sentences for years or are forced to flee the country.

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As a direct result of this selective modernization, the immigrants are the ones who suffer the most. On the outside, the city looks like the epitome of modernity. Yet, on the inside, there are deeper structural problems that indicate that the city might not resonate with its exterior image of modernity. With an ever-growing trend of lavish and extravagant houses in the city, there is an emergence of a growing faction of an extravagant upper class in the city. While the blue-collar laborers and domestic workers are shoved in quiet shady corners, invisible to the naked eye. A majority of whom have been brought to the country with the aspirations of high paying jobs. Yet when they do arrive, they are forced to do manual labor, with their passports being taken away. This exploitation is aided by the state. The ‘kafala’, or sponsored visa system legitimizes the oppression of these workers. While it allows for employers to sponsor the fees of employees, it also entraps the latter into the systemic oppression. They cannot leave their jobs even if they wish to, at the risk of fines, imprisonment or even worse, deportation.

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Therefore, while some parts remain the same, others usher in a new era for the city. This tussle is something that is natural for a city like Dubai, that has just begun rebranding itself. Socially, while the old forms of orthodoxy remain, economically it wishes to become a major hub for the technologically driven  future[TD1] . Yet only time will tell whether Dubai manages to bridge these existing inconsistencies of development or accelerate the imbalances between an orthodox society and a “developed” economy.  

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By Aastha Kapoor

Jindal School of International Affairs