The Takeover: So What’s The Fuss

Campus has gone bloody mad this week! This past Wednesday, a group of students at my study abroad institution, the School of Oriental and African Studies, rose up in arms and occupied a campus building. The university has been abuzz with news of the takeover, reminiscent of 1960s student takeovers in the US, particularly at a New York school that shall remain nameless. Though news of the takeover quickly spread throughout the university, I was unaware of all the commotion until my brother, nearly 3,000 miles away in New England, informed me of the morning, student-led takeover in the halls of the Brunei Gallery. And those are all the details that I know about the takeover: simply that a group of students occupied a building.

Even though I was short on details, that did not stop me from hearing of the takeover, as it remained the hot topic throughout the day in the rest of my classes. For instance, one of my tutors, noting the low attendance of tutorial, joked, “I guess everyone must be at the takeover,” to which the few of us in class replied with smirks and giggles. And many of my classmates discussed the takeover, whether it was right or wrong, what were the goals of the students, were these students demands good or bad, anger at the protest from impeding their ability to go to the bookstore in the Brunei Gallery, etc.

The funny thing about the takeover is that I have no clue why it began. There is talk that it is a demonstration against the Israeli attacks in Gaza, but I have heard that it was a protest against a British war exhibit. At first, I thought that this was indicative of how I, as a foreigner, am estranged from my English. But a few days later, I realized that, after talking to my English flatmates, they were just as confused as I about the takeover. Yet, despite the confusion about all the commotion, protests have spread in clusters across the UK to a protest at the Houses of Parliament in London and to the University of Edinburgh.

Throughout all of this, I can’t help but ask, “So what’s all the fuss about?”

Well, that’s all for now,

Dominique

You can follow more of my adventures at staffordstravels.blogspot.com

Thesis Research in Dubai

Having already spent a semester abroad in savvy Tokyo, Japan, I would have originally found it difficult to write about any other city so soon after my experience there. Clearly, as an Urban Studies major, I should have known otherwise.

For my senior year I chose to write my thesis in conjunction with the International Topics seminar, a class of about ten people writing about cities all over the world. Because we have such a small number of students, and most other Urban Studies seniors choose to write about issues closer to home, there is a sizable sum of money available to give to students conducting international research. Barnard students specifically can receive grants up to $750. Naturally, with such a discount, I scrambled during midterms to put together a research trip that would take over the majority of my winter break after the New Year.

My thesis topic is a historical analysis concerning the implications of oil discovery on the social dynamics, industry, and infrastructure in Dubai during three distinct time periods: 1900-1955, 1955-1970, and 1970-present. While here I’m mainly looking for information on social dynamics; there are ample reports available on the city’s astounding growth patterns and mind-blowing infrastructural development. I can at this point confirm that the buildings are indeed mind-blowing, and have not failed to shatter my excessively high expectations of the city. However, that is not to say that Dubai does not have its fair share of urban problems, no matter how unique of a city it is.

Due to numerous foreign growth strategies, including the hugely successful commercial free zones (allowing easy set-up for corporations with zero-to-no taxes and the potential for 100% foreign ownership), lax immigration laws, and a high quality of life, the city has exploded only in the past fifteen years. Companies from all over the world have set up headquarters in the city, creating new jobs and bringing an enormous amount of capital into Dubai. That being said, the city has literally sprawled along the Persian Gulf and into the desert. It is not possible to walk between most neighborhoods; tourists take taxis when they cannot walk to their destinations, and thousands of commuters (mainly from Sharjah, which has a much lower cost of living) have no choice but to drive every morning and night, creating tremendous traffic congestion. The city desperately needs a commuter rail to alleviate this problem.

Aside from an improved public transportation agenda, which is in danger of being stigmatized even before construction, the city also suffers from an unstable population demographic. Although Dubai has experienced immigration for hundreds of years, the most recent influx has been so overwhelming that a mere 10% represents native Dubai locals. They rarely mix with the expatriate population, and generally keep separate without acknowledging the severe cultural clash. It is an odd feeling to hear the sounds of the five-times-daily Salah begin at 5AM knowing that there are so few that actually follow Islam. This is not to say that other foreign Arabs do not practice their religious faith, but the numbers are still small in comparison to those that do not.

Dubai is an incredible city; few will deny that. With still a week left to explore, I am confident that I will still agree by the end of it. However, it is not a flawless city-planning model by any means, and future planners should not let Dubai’s incredible jagged skyline and extravagant tourist attractions mask this fact.

Written by Katie Magiera, BC’ 09