inevitably for a child of dubai i have long been interested in contemporary ideas of identity. i grew up constantly surrounded by and ever changing but always broad variety of nationalities, ethnicities and religions. unsurprisingly dubai kids are naturally comfortable with different cultures and at heart blind to the superficial differences of the people.

at the same time the majority of dubai kids even in the 80s were expatriates who although unquestionably dubaians understood early on that ultimately they did not belong in dubai where there wasn’t and still isn’t really a structured naturalization policy. this environment ensured an ambivalence towards rigid notions of identity and nation-ality. we are at ease with vague, malleable notions of belonging and i believe gravitate towards a pre-nation (and post-nation – nations will in the future be looked on as an aberration) state perspective of the world. a human identity made up of overlapping and pliable tribes over exclusive concepts like religion, nation etc.

christopher lydon‘s consistently superb open source podcast featured chicago anthropologist and he had some fascinating things to say about identity in a capitalist, multi-national world.

nation state no longer the crucible of economy

we entered a world where geography suddenly changed

they speak about plurality another essential characteristic of where our world is heading.

they talk about argument being positive and vital in society. this is an idea that is depressingly totally alien in the middle east (outside of israel). political leaders see any discourse not in line with their worldview as a personal affront and a security threat that must be neutered (some nations are more sophisticated at accomplishing this, uae for eg, than others, egypt or syria).

the interview is highly recommended if you have an hour to spare (as is subscribing to the podcast). another related and recommended online interview i listened to recently is the philosophy talk show featuring princeton’s kwame anthony appiah.

john comaroff on open source with chris lydon mp3 download. alternatively, press play below.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

dubai is often called a possible city of the future. really the description is more apt of the children of dubai. we are the future.

Browse Timeline

• « 115. egypt corruption rank.
• » african rhythms | oneness of juju ala qoolquest