No Spaces without History

Transdisciplinary Approaches to the Gulf Cities between Area Studies, Art History and Media Studies

Bibliographic Data

ID12955697
AuthorsBettina Gräf (0000-0003-4933-6202, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, corresponding author), Laura Hindelang (0000-0002-9195-9190, University of Bern)
Year2022
Volume15
Issue3
Pages219-239
Publication date2022-09-06
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueMiddle East Journal of Culture and Communication (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1873-9857 • E-ISSN: 1873-9865
PublisherBrill (PUBLISHER • NL)
DOI10.1163/18739865-01503001
OpenAlexW4296047177
LanguageEN
References cited41

Research on urban spaces in the Gulf region has increased substantially over the last two decades, particularly with a strong focus on contemporary phenomena. However, this focus often overlooks entangled histories and past trajectories that are formative for the present. Moreover, it perpetuates the notion of the region’s ahistoricity. To challenge the Gulf cities’ presumed lack of history, we have used a media-historical approach engaging with the history of a medium (e.g., architecture, film, magazine, photography, social media) in relation to a specific city. The article first provides an overview of recent research on the Gulf’s urban cultures in various disciplines. After introducing our approach, the article then considers temporality and spatiality as research perspectives in media studies and subsequently shifts to established media-historical approaches within Middle Eastern and South Asian area studies. It evaluates the complexities of writing on the art and architectural histories of the Gulf as specific forms of media. Finally, it addresses the potential of transdisciplinarity and collaboration as methods resituating the Gulf within the Arab region, the Persianate world and the Indian Ocean, respectively

Archaeology · Epistemology · Focus (optics · Formative assessment · Relation (database · Social science · Sociology · Temporality · Urban history · Architecture and Cultural Influences · Computer Science · Global Maritime and Colonial Histories · History · Urban Planning and Governance · Architecture

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