Section I - Annotated Bibliography
Al-Ammari, B. and M.H. Romanowski. "The Impact of Globalisation on Society and Culture in
Qatar." Pertanika Journal of Social Sciences & Humanities, vol. 24, no. 4, Dec. 2016, pp.
1535-1556. EBSCOhost. Accessed Mar 20 2017.
Qatar has become a center of modernization in recent years. As a result, there have been many cultural and social consequences. The authors argue rapid change in Qatar has shaped family structure and traditional values. The study consisted of 997 surveys from Qatari families, and the findings presented show that globalization in Qatar has attempted to make a global culture that is stripping Qatari family identity. The study presents globalization as “an engine of social conflict” (1539). Media play a large role in globalization and shifting culture away from traditional norms.
Anctil Avoine, Priscyll; Lida, Ahmad. “‘Deviant’ women in English Arab Media: Comparing
Representation in Iraq, Saudi Arabia and Qatar". Reflexión Política (2016): 34-48.
Universidad Autonoma de Bucaramanga. Accessed 16 Mar 2017.
This study considers the narratives of Arab women in Arab English media. Researchers studied how women were depicted in three different newspapers based in Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar: Iraqi News, Arab News, and Al Jazeera English, respectively. The study was inspired by post-9/11 depictions of Arab women as being victims of an oppressive society. Researchers assert that women who deviate from established norms are not often covered—instead of covering stories of politically active women, news organizations tend to cover instances of women being victims. Ultimately, the researchers write that Al Jazeera is helping to question these norms and is changing gender relations in the ME, but there is still a long way to go before the submissive narrative surrounding Arab women is dismissed in media.
Bin Hamad Al Attiyah, Abdullah. "The Oil and Gas Year: Who's Who of the Global Energy
Industry, Qatar 2015." THE OIL & GAS YEAR (2015). Oil and Gas Year. Al Attiyah
Foundation for Energy & Sustainable Development. Web. Accessed 15 Mar. 2017.
The Oil and Gas report for 2015 focuses on Qatar's power in the oil industry, featuring interviews with Qatari big wigs in the oil and gas industry, as well as partners in Japan, the UK, and India. The issue has great graphics and statistics centering around Qatar’s oil production, the most intriguing of which is the map of the oil-producing Middle East nations and the lowest possible prices of oil per barrel for each nation. The issue details Qatar Petroleum (QP) investments, the shift in the company’s leadership, and the stability of the petroleum business in Qatar.
Kamrava, Mehran. Qatar: Small State, Big Politics. New York: Cornell University Press, 2013.
Print.
Small State, Big Politics speaks to its title: the main takeaway from the book is that despite its small size, Qatar is a global player in politics. Kamrava explores Qatar’s foreign relations and its subtle, soft power. Qatari leadership, a stable royal autocracy, has capitalized on its strategic location and access to resources. Qatar has labeled itself as a diplomatic nation, which helps it to compete with other countries in the Persian Gulf as an economic and political hub. Kamrava believes that the strategic power moves made by the Qatari government will help its power to last.
Luomi, Mari. "Qatar's Natural Sustainability: Plans, Perceptions, and Pitfalls." SSRN Electronic
Journal (2012). Georgetown CIRS. Web. Accessed 15 Mar. 2017.
Luomi's journal explores Qatar's future in environmental and human sustainability with the recent boom in population and development. Luomi asserts that Qatar's focus on growing the technological landscape has been detrimental to the environment there. The Gulf Monarchies have produced a cycle of unsustainability; this presents a challenge because Qatar is an up-and-coming technological nation focused on economic growth. Luomi explains the concept of "illusion of abundance" with Qatar's oil supply, which is ultimately not sustainable, even though it may seem that way. The Qatar National Vision for 2030 report outlines some plans for a more environmentally sound economic powerhouse, but Luomi fears that current and future obstacles to sustainability, including the Qatari government's attitude towards technological and industrial progress, will hinder environmental protection and could destroy natural resources.
Samuel-Azran, Tal. "Al-Jazeera, Qatar, and New Tactics in State-Sponsored Media Diplomacy.”
American Behavioral Scientist, vol. 57, no. 9, Sept. 2013, pp. 1293-1311. EBSCOhost.
Accessed Mar 16 2017.
This article is important because it delves into the significance of Al Jazeera in Qatar’s political climate. In this 8-year study, researchers looked at Al Jazeera Arabic’s coverage of Saudi Arabian affairs in an attempt to gage Al Jazeera’s influence from the Qatari government. This study’s findings suggest that Al Jazeera, while a globally trustworthy and in-depth news source, aids the Qatari government, especially in Qatari-Saudi relations. Authors claim the emir uses Al Jazeera, a hybrid state-sponsored/private network, as a diplomacy tool.
Sullivan, Donald. Qatar: Conditions, Issues, and U.S. Relations. New York: Nova Science, 2015.
Print.
Politics and Economics of the Middle East. Qatar: Conditions, Issues, and U.S. Relations provides a wide scope of the country's state of being, detailing U.S. relations, human rights issues, religious climate, and economic and business affairs. In the first section, Sullivan discusses the importance of the Qatari monarchy's founding of Al Jazeera. From reading this book, I have a better idea now of how Qatar functions in politics in the Middle East and on a global scale- Qatar's strong relations with the U.S., its involvement in mass media affairs (such as the 2022 FIFA World Cup), and its powerful but technologically and economically progressive monarchy make Qatar a sort of mediator of Middle Eastern political affairs. Human rights concerns in Qatar include the people's inability to peacefully change the constitutional monarchy, some limitations with freedoms of speech, press, assembly, and access to a fair trial, and discrimination against women. The last section of the book discusses Qatar's 2030 National Vision and how Qatar is expected to achieve that goal.
Salama, Ashraf M., et al. "Knowledge Economy as an Initiator of Sustainable Urbanism in
Emerging Metropolises: The Case of Doha, Qatar." International Journal of Architectural
Research, vol. 10, no. 1, Mar. 2016, pp. 274-324. EBSCOhost. Accessed Mar 16 2017.
This source provides necessary background information on Doha’s population and urban environment. The most useful part of this source is the Media Survey, beginning on page 301. Researchers looked at two magazines: Oryx, the in-flight magazine for Qatar Airways, and Edge, and created a breakdown by category of what topics were covered. Unsurprisingly, Oryx covered culture and tourism topics the most, in an effort to brand Qatar as a travel destination. The Media Survey portion of this article discusses the importance of branding, claiming “[media] unequivocally portray the image of Doha as an emerging international hub in different field to a global community” (303).
Theodorakis, Nicholas D., et al. "An Examination of Levels of Fandom, Team Identification,
Socialization Processes, and Fan Behaviors in Qatar." Journal of Sport Behavior, vol. 40,
no. 1, Mar. 2017, pp. 87-107. EBSCOhost. Accessed 20 Mar 2017.
This article describes a niche area of media—sport culture in Qatar. The study, just published this month, looked at typical sport fan behaviors, inspired by university students in Qatar using the Internet to follow sports teams. The most important aspect of the study for my project is how the university students’ interactions with media affected their sports following. There is a stark gender difference in following sporting events on television and on social media, which could relate to Qatari culture surrounding gender. Overall, though, 39.5% of the student population follows sports on the Internet, 26.5% on social media, and 23.8% on television. There is a great graphic on pg. 93 outlining the results of a survey on forms of media and sporting event following.
Ulrichsen, Kristian. Qatar and the Arab Spring. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2014. Print.
The Arab Spring is arguably one of the most pivotal movements in Qatari history, especially concerning media and politics. This book is one of the most key sources for my project, as it outlines Qatar's media landscape before, during, and after the Arab Spring and details how media affect Qatar's policies. The author is not afraid of critiquing Qatar's response to media, predicting that it will be a difficult transition under all the media scrutiny for the 2022 World Cup. Ulrichsen explores Al Jazeera's impact on Qatar, and how the news organization serves as an important political pawn for the country. Ulrichsen also discusses Qatar's state branding through foreign and domestic policy and media.