Uae Society

Unit 1

Emirates

1. When the UAE was formally established?

              2 December 1971

1. Describe the boundaries and location of the UAE.

The United Arab Emirates is located in the southeast end of the Arabian Peninsula on the Arabian Gulf.  .

1. Name the constituent emirates of the UAE.

Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm al-Qaiwain, Ras al-Khaimah and Fujairah

1. Describe the physical features and the climate of the UAE.

Physical Features: Although four-fifths of its land area is arid desert, the UAE is a country of contrasting landscapes

Climate: The climate of the UAE is unfortunately hot and humid

1. What is the official language and religion of the UAE?

              The language is Arabic and the religion is Islam

Unit 2

Historical Background

Answer the following questions.

1. When were the first inhabitants in the UAE recorded?  

5,500 BC or 7,500 years ago         

1. Briefly identify the role of late Sheikh Zayed in the formation of the UAE.  

An agreement was reached between the rulers of six of the emirates (Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Fujairah, Umm al-Qaiwain and Ajman) and the federation to be known as the United Arab Emirates (UAE) was formally established on 2 December 1971 with Sheikh Zayed as its President. The seventh emirate, Ra‟s al-Khaimah, formally acceded to the new federation on 10 February 1972.

1. Classify the categories of population in the UAE.

The UAE society is divided into two distinct social categories:

1. The nationals (Al-Muwateneen )
2. The expatriates and immigrants, referred to as the incomers (Al-Wafedeen).

1. What  were  the  most  important  reasons  for  the  change  of  the  ethnically homogeneous community of the UAE?  

• Stable economy
•  Stable political system.  
• The Emiratis have a deep respect for the past and history,  
•  Recognize the strength and prosperity

1. Identify the most important features of the UAE‟s tribal and urban society.

In the 1940s the UAE signed two contracts with the British government, one to land planes and the other to search for oil. At the same time the Sheikhs encouraged development and kept taxes low. The first clinics and banks were established by this decade. However, the economy was negatively impacted by the introduction of cultural pearls by Japan into the world market, and also by the Second World War. Food supplies were difficult to come by.

1. Write in your own words about the life and rule of late Sheikh Zayed, “the leader and the nation‟.

The late H. H. President Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, Ruler of Abu Dhabi, came to power in Abu Dhabi in 1966 and was the country's founding president in 1971 until his death in November 2004. He had succeeded his older brother, Sheikh Shakhbut ibn Sultan Al Nahyan who ruled Abu Dhabi until 1966. In 1966, a council of the ruling family held a meeting and chose the more progressive Sheikh Zayed, whom they thought would be more capable in dealing with the rapid changes occurring due to the export of oil.

Unit 3

Society and Culture

Answer the following questions.

1. Define the concept of „society‟.  

In very simple terms, we can think of a society as a body of individuals living as a community

1. What is the problem with the definition of culture?   

The term „culture‟ is difficult to define because it means different things to different people.

1. Choose a definition of culture that is widely accepted.

Culture is defined as   the sum total of ways of living built up by a group of human beings and transmitted from one generation to the other 

1. In what sense one can best define culture?  

Culture is said to be existing when a large group of people share a distinctive set of:

1. Manners – customs, practices, rules etc.

1. Morals – values, beliefs, norms etc.

1. Arts – visual, aural (e.g.: music), literary, performing etc.

1. Traditions – language, history, knowledge etc.

1. Write in your own words about one of the following topics:

B. The concept of „civil society‟. 

 “Civil society commonly embraces a diversity of spaces, actors and institutional forms, varying in their degree of formality, autonomy and power. 

The civil society is a separate social space, distinct from:

1. The State
2. The Family
3. The Businesses

UNIT 4

Social Life

Answer the following questions.

1. Identify the most important reasons for the change of the UAE‟s tribal and urban      society.    

The urbanization which set in with the accelerating pearling boom also brought a great mix of tribes into the coastal towns, where they lived in separate areas, forming tribally distinct features. That is to say, the Emiratis stick coherently to their traditional and tribal backgrounds against the waves of urbanization which has not affected the essence of their identity.

1. What influences the UAE‟s local customs and traditions?   

In the original areas of population concentration, the large oases, various tribes often lived side by side and in many issues of economic or political importance this neighborhood became the guiding factor in the society's political life. In most villages they also mixed and mingled because one instance of inter-tribal marriage was usually the beginning of further marriages between two groups. But there were also some long-established social differences relating to the ownership of land in these oases – a kind of class distinction, where often the Bedouin absentee landlords were at the top of the social structure.

1. Write in your own words about the most important features of the Emirati tribal life. 

In the sandy desert, as well as in the mountains or in the coastal villages, people adapted in different ways to the geographical conditions and to the availability of some resources and the lack of others.

        It was essential to adopt a nomadic lifestyle in order to take maximum advantage of the meager resources spread over a wide area. In other cases, as, for instance, with the fishing communities or the owners of the marginal mini-oases in the wadis, mobility has always been required to supplement the otherwise insufficient resources available at the principal abode.

1. Discuss how urbanization has not affected the coherent and deep-rooted Islamic and Arab culture of the Emiratis.

For others , access to modern housing, education and healthcare have made a great difference, but the basic pattern of their lives has not yet changed. Belonging to a well-respected local tribe or an influential family is still of prime importance in today's local   society.

In spite of the overwhelming majority of expatriates around them, local families socialize almost exclusively amongst themselves.

Thus, it is not surprising that the traditional local customs are still very much part of the daily life. The people greet one another with the traditional nose kiss. They are instantly recognizable by their traditional clothes, which have remained the same in  style even if the materials are more varied and refined than in the past. The women in the family still have a special position in the society. 

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