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with Sarah Moser, Associate Professor, Dept. of Geography

In recent years, there has been a surge of scholarly and media interest in the many ambitious and fantastical urban mega-developments emerging in the Gulf, particularly in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Saudi Arabia and Qatar. These include new ‘smart’ cities built from scratch, futuristic techno-utopian enclaves, and massive artificial islands in the shape of fish, palm fronds, and continents. While Gulf countries are all monarchies with theocratic elements, scholars have largely overlooked the role that religion plays in these urban mega-developments. My research investigates how speculative and futuristic urban mega-developments are being crafted in part to carve out space within conservative Muslim societies for more moderate practices of Islam as a way to combat fundamentalism.

The student ambassadors Natalia Kolesnikow, Jenny Park and Jia Yi (Ariel) Sheng will introduce the speaker and moderate the Q&A after the presentation.
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