| This paper is based on my thesis research, which explores how expatriate women in Dubai perceive the spaces that surround them. The built environment (physical spaces large and small) can shape notions of identity and belonging, but not divorced from the social context of place. In a country where discrimination abounds, foreign women in Dubai must confront social stigmas and tensions very much connected to their own nationality, race, and socioeconomic status. Their divergent experiences of space and belonging in the same city are determined by those personal attributes. Through qualitative data gathered from 20 phone interviews, I examine some of the ways in which expatriate women navigate urban borders of old and new, foreign and local, rich and poor, culture and consumption, and other aspects of a city known for its iconic hyper development. This research also presents to planners a framework to scrutinize neoliberal development in other cities around the world. |
