VIRTUAL London Heritages Conference

Abstract

As the United Arab Emirates (UAE) undergoes rapid modernisation, there is an increasing emphasis on the meaning-making of national cultural heritage through both state-led initiatives and participatory local approaches. However, state-driven initiatives often involve processes of selection through the implementation of UNESCO’s different lists of world recognition, that may overlook aspects of living heritage valued by local communities. This research investigates the challenges faced by a diverse, modernising country in balancing national heritage narratives with the community’s interpretation of intangible heritage. Focusing on the UAE’s tribal communities, this study examines how heritage practitioners with tribal affiliations contribute to safeguarding intangible heritage in ways that do not necessarily align with formal processes of heritage meaning-making. This study aims to highlight the role of tribal heritage practitioners in safeguarding local traditions, and explore the dynamics of heritage interpretation as shaped by interactions between the government sector and tribal communities, including informal practices of staged heritage and heritagisation. Employing a qualitative methodology, this research includes case studies from the UAE, supported by interviews, fieldwork, and document analysis. The findings reveal complex tensions and hierarchies in the context of national heritage interpretation, including those between formal and informal narratives, internal and external expressions of identity, and top-down versus bottom-up approaches. This research stresses the critical role of local communities as custodians of cultural memory and identity, and it suggests an inclusive participatory approach that recognises and prioritises their contributions as essential in the meaning-making processes of national cultural heritage.