Neither Here Nor There: Mixed Identity and Belonging in the United Arab Emirates

A Master of Arts thesis in International Studies by Sarah Zahaf entitled, “Neither Here Nor There: Mixed Identity and Belonging in the United Arab Emirates”, submitted in April 2025. Thesis advisor is Dr. Neha Vora. Soft copy is available (Thesis, Completion Certificate, Approval Signatures, and AUS...

وصف كامل

محفوظ في:
التفاصيل البيبلوغرافية
المؤلف الرئيسي: Zahaf, Sarah (author)
التنسيق: doctoralThesis
منشور في: 2025
الموضوعات:
الوصول للمادة أونلاين:https://hdl.handle.net/11073/26136
الوسوم: إضافة وسم
لا توجد وسوم, كن أول من يضع وسما على هذه التسجيلة!
_version_ 1864513433394741248
author Zahaf, Sarah
author_facet Zahaf, Sarah
author_role author
dc.contributor.none.fl_str_mv Vora, Neha
dc.creator.none.fl_str_mv Zahaf, Sarah
dc.date.none.fl_str_mv 2025-06-18T08:24:55Z
2025-06-18T08:24:55Z
2025-04
dc.format.none.fl_str_mv application/pdf
dc.identifier.none.fl_str_mv 29.232-2025.06
https://hdl.handle.net/11073/26136
dc.language.none.fl_str_mv en_US
dc.subject.none.fl_str_mv Mixed
Identity
Belonging
UAE
Culture
dc.title.none.fl_str_mv Neither Here Nor There: Mixed Identity and Belonging in the United Arab Emirates
dc.type.none.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
info:eu-repo/semantics/doctoralThesis
description A Master of Arts thesis in International Studies by Sarah Zahaf entitled, “Neither Here Nor There: Mixed Identity and Belonging in the United Arab Emirates”, submitted in April 2025. Thesis advisor is Dr. Neha Vora. Soft copy is available (Thesis, Completion Certificate, Approval Signatures, and AUS Archives Consent Form).
format doctoralThesis
id aus_9b078667a17e58569a328d9a321c455a
identifier_str_mv 29.232-2025.06
language_invalid_str_mv en_US
network_acronym_str aus
network_name_str aus
oai_identifier_str oai:repository.aus.edu:11073/26136
publishDate 2025
repository.mail.fl_str_mv
repository.name.fl_str_mv
repository_id_str
spelling Neither Here Nor There: Mixed Identity and Belonging in the United Arab EmiratesZahaf, SarahMixedIdentityBelongingUAECultureA Master of Arts thesis in International Studies by Sarah Zahaf entitled, “Neither Here Nor There: Mixed Identity and Belonging in the United Arab Emirates”, submitted in April 2025. Thesis advisor is Dr. Neha Vora. Soft copy is available (Thesis, Completion Certificate, Approval Signatures, and AUS Archives Consent Form).In the United Arab Emirates (UAE), mixed individuals are faced with the difficult task of navigating identity in a highly pluralistic, globally connected landscape. Considering that migrants constitute 88% of the UAE’s population, citizen and non-citizens residents both experience exposure to multiple cultures while trying to balance their heritage with new cultural influences. This is especially true in households with parents of different national, ethnic, or racial backgrounds, what I simply term mixed. This thesis examines how mixed young adults with dual or multiple cultural backgrounds in the UAE articulate their belonging and their sense of identity. Research on mixed backgrounds have highlighted a life of complexity, with individuals constantly facing both challenges and benefits of a multicultural background. Using narrative semi-structured interviews with a total of 34 people, this thesis explores how mixed young individuals in the UAE narrate evolving stories that blend Emirati, South Asian, Western, and many other influences in their lives; in so doing, it sheds light on the complex process of identity construction within the UAE.College of Arts and SciencesDepartment of International StudiesMaster of Arts in International Studies (MAIS)Vora, Neha2025-06-18T08:24:55Z2025-06-18T08:24:55Z2025-04info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersioninfo:eu-repo/semantics/doctoralThesisapplication/pdf29.232-2025.06https://hdl.handle.net/11073/26136en_USoai:repository.aus.edu:11073/261362025-11-11T07:05:36Z
spellingShingle Neither Here Nor There: Mixed Identity and Belonging in the United Arab Emirates
Zahaf, Sarah
Mixed
Identity
Belonging
UAE
Culture
status_str publishedVersion
title Neither Here Nor There: Mixed Identity and Belonging in the United Arab Emirates
title_full Neither Here Nor There: Mixed Identity and Belonging in the United Arab Emirates
title_fullStr Neither Here Nor There: Mixed Identity and Belonging in the United Arab Emirates
title_full_unstemmed Neither Here Nor There: Mixed Identity and Belonging in the United Arab Emirates
title_short Neither Here Nor There: Mixed Identity and Belonging in the United Arab Emirates
title_sort Neither Here Nor There: Mixed Identity and Belonging in the United Arab Emirates
topic Mixed
Identity
Belonging
UAE
Culture
url https://hdl.handle.net/11073/26136