MIGRATION, IDENTITY, AND THE SPATIALITY OF SOCIAL INTERACTION IN MUSCAT, SULTANATE OF OMAN by NICOLE KESSELL A THESIS Presented to the Department of International Studies and the Graduate School of the University of Oregon in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts September 2017 THESIS APPROVAL PAGE Student: Nicole Kessell Title: Migration, Identity, and the Spatiality of Social Interaction in Muscat, Sultanate of Oman This thesis has been accepted and approved in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Master of Arts degree in the Department of International Studies by: Dennis C. Galvan Chairperson Alexander B. Murphy Member Yvonne Braun Member and Sara D. Hodges Interim Vice Provost and Dean of the Graduate School Original approval signatures are on file with the University of Oregon Graduate School. Degree awarded September 2017 ii © 2017 Nicole Kessell iii THESIS ABSTRACT Nicole Kessell Master of Arts Department of International Studies September 2017 Title: Migration, Identity, and the Spatiality of Social Interaction in Muscat, Sultanate of Oman Utilizing Henri Lefebvre’s theory of the production of space as a framework for exploration, this research is concerned with the social and cultural impacts of modernization and international migration to Muscat, Oman focusing on the production of space and its role in the modification and (re)construction of culture and identity in the everyday. While the Omani state is promoting a unifying national identity, Muscat residents are reconstructing and renegotiating culture and identity in the capital city. Individuals are adapting and conforming to, mediating, and contesting both the state’s identity project as well as to the equally, if not more, influential social control that is the culture of gossip and reputation. What’s emerging is a distinctly Muscati culture. iv CURRICULUM VITAE NAME OF AUTHOR: Nicole Kessell GRADUATE AND UNDERGRADUATE SCHOOLS ATTENDED: University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon Frostburg State University, Frostburg, Maryland DEGREES AWARDED: Master of Arts, International Studies, 2017, University of Oregon Bachelor of Arts, International Studies and Geography, 2011, Frostburg State University AREAS OF SPECIAL INTEREST: International Migration Collective and Place-based Identity Community Development State Development & Urbanization PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE: Graduate Teaching Fellow, University of Oregon Department of Geography, September 2015 - June 2017 Graduate Teaching Fellow, University of Oregon Department of International Studies, March 2015 - June 2015 Graduate Teaching Fellow, University of Oregon Department of International Studies, September 2013 - June 2014 GRANTS, AWARDS, AND HONORS: Slape Award, Department of International Studies, 2015 v ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I wish to express my wholehearted appreciation to my esteemed committee chair and academic advisor, Dr. Dennis C. Galvan, for his invaluable guidance and advice, sustained patience, and unwavering support, both academic and emotional, in the preparation of this manuscript. I am indebted to Dr. Galvan for his assistance, and fear I can never adequately express my gratitude for his mentorship. I would like also to express my appreciation to my esteemed committee members, Dr. Alexander B. Murphy and Dr. Yvonne Braun, for all the expert advice and insights afforded to me. Their contributions to this manuscript are significant and greatly valued. I wish to also express my gratitude to my family for their generosity, and their steadfast patience and moral support through this process. My family has always encouraged my academic and intellectual pursuits, but more importantly they instilled in me a ferocious socio-cultural curiosity and need to understand and respect people from all walks of life, in all geographic locations. I am who I am because of who they are. Lastly, I am incredibly grateful for and indebted to the gracious and friendly residents of Muscat, and all those who assisted me in my fieldwork. I would like to thank Nada, Daliya, and Hakima Al Said for allowing me into their home and lives. I am indebted to the participants of this study for their time, trust, and expertise. I have never been so warmly received and so quickly embraced than I was in their city, and I’ll never forget the hospitality shown. vi This thesis is dedicated to Susan W. Hardwick. vii TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter Page I. INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................... 1 Significance of the Study ....................................................................................... 1 Globalization and Migration ............................................................................ 1 Space and Place................................................................................................ 2 Urbanization and the Scale of the City ............................................................ 3 Everyday Lived Experience ............................................................................. 4 Oman… ............................................................................................................ 5 Research Questions ................................................................................................ 7 Methodology .......................................................................................................... 7 Research Design............................................................................................... 8 Data Collection Instrumentation ...................................................................... 10 Data Collection Approach and Procedure........................................................ 10 Archival Research ...................................................................................... 10 Interviews ................................................................................................... 12 Participant Selection ........................................................................... 13 Participant Solicitation ....................................................................... 13 Mental Mapping ......................................................................................... 18 Participant Observation .............................................................................. 22 Research Limitations ............................................................................................. 24 Thesis Overview .................................................................................................... 27 II. LITERATURE REVIEW ........................................................................................ 29 Space, Place, and Culture ....................................................................................... 29 Landscape, Culture, and Power ............................................................................. 33 Place and Identity ................................................................................................... 39 National Identity and Place .................................................................................... 43 Globalization, Place, and Identity .......................................................................... 45 The Global City...................................................................................................... 51 viii Chapter Page III. BACKGROUND ................................................................................................... 54 Oman: An Introduction .......................................................................................... 54 Initial Migration and Settlement ................................................................ 58 Trade and Empire-building ........................................................................ 58 The Arab Gulf States ............................................................................................. 60 Global Migration Trends........................................................................................ 61 Regional Migration Trends .................................................................................... 63 The Omani Renaissance ......................................................................................... 69 Development and Labour Shortage ....................................................................... 75 Local Migration Trends… ..................................................................................... 77 Muscat .................................................................................................................... 79 Neighbourhoods of Muscat .............................................................................. 80 IV. REPRESENTATIONS OF SPACE: THE CITY .................................................. 83 State Representations of Space .............................................................................. 83 Methods of Identity Construction .......................................................................... 85 Legislation and Policy...................................................................................... 85 National Narrative and Discourse .................................................................... 88 Mitigating the Impact of Migration and Modernization on Identity Construction ............................................................................................................................. 97 Legislation and