The Management and Construction of Kuwait's Heritage Identity: The Impact of Orientalism, Westernisation, and Geopolitics

This dissertation explores the historical context, ideologies, conflicts, and political agendas that have shaped Kuwait’s heritage identity and values. In the 1950s, as Kuwait was developing into a nation-state, it promoted a national identity in its newly established schools, museums, and other cultural institutions to distinguish itself from its neighbouring countries. This identity, however, was largely monolithic and misrepresented, reflecting the views of a select few, namely the ḥaḍar (City dwellers, urbanites). At the same time, other ethnic groups were marginalised and left out of the narrative. Led by the Department of Education, the State incorporated cultural heritage principles into its curricula to foster patriotism, Arab nationalism, and loyalty to the State and the ruler. The State used the subjects of civic education and geography to create a concept of heritage that emphasised an Arab identity, tribalism, and paternalism; in turn, marginalising the ʿajam (Kuwaitis with Iranian origins) and excluding them from the State heritage narrative. By 1957, Kuwait established its first museum in the Gulf. An analysis of the museum’s ethnographic collection from 1957 to 2022 revealed that the State represented a heritage that favoured ḥaḍar culture while it effectively otherised the bedū (nomadic Bedouin tribes) and portrayed them as outsiders. Several external factors have also shaped Kuwait’s heritage identity. Throughout the twentieth century, Orientalist discourse, partly inspired by Arabian Nights tales, has guided much of the West’s portrayal of Kuwait and its population. In response, local society began to identify with these fabricated images and incorporate them into their heritage representations. For this part, the study explored the historical context of Orientalism by analysing notable Western media outlets, travel literature, and colonial reports. In contrast, it explored self-Orientalism by analysing local magazines and the impact of Allan Villiers’ book Sons of Sinbad on Kuwaiti heritage representation. Furthermore, in 1958, a Westernisation of heritage values took place following the discovery of ancient relics on Failaka Island and the subsequent association with UNESCO. In the wake of modernisation and globalisation, traditional heritage became associated with regress and backwardness. In this respect, the study examines the “cultural cringe” phenomenon, an inferiority complex in which societies view their local culture as inferior to the West’s. This phenomenon was detrimental to developing the country’s heritage management policies regarding its archaeological heritage. An analysis of traditional landmarks on Failaka Island, in addition to the documents submitted by Kuwait for UNESCO’s World Heritage list further reveals how Western values supplanted indigenous ones. Overall, Kuwait’s heritage identity emerged as a reaction to a variety of domestic and foreign influences, intentionally and unintentionally, with a predominant political orientation. As a result, the State and local society have adopted a distorted and inaccurate interpretation of it