The Gulf Information War| Car Decals, Civic Rituals, and Changing Conceptions of Nationalism

Authors

  • Jocelyn Sage Mitchell Northwestern University in Qatar
  • Ilhem Allagui Northwestern University-Qatar

Keywords:

diplomatic crisis, nationalism, citizens, expatriates, Qatar

Abstract

With the onset of the Gulf diplomatic crisis in June 2017, citizens and expatriate residents in Qatar affixed patriotic decals to their cars in a show of support. Using visual evidence and ethnographic interviews gathered between August 2017 and September 2018, we analyze Qatari and expatriate participation in this shared ritual of nationalism, and what each group’s participation meant to the other. Our conclusions highlight the growth of civic nationalism narratives in Qatar as a response to the diplomatic crisis, and a corresponding reduction in regional ethnic narratives of communal belonging  

Author Biographies

Jocelyn Sage Mitchell, Northwestern University in Qatar

Asst. Professor, Liberal Arts

Ilhem Allagui, Northwestern University-Qatar

Associate Professor, Ph.D in Mass Communications from University of Montreal, Canada. Research interests: Political economy of new media; Social aspects of the Internet in the Arab region; IMC/Advertising/PR in the Arab region.

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Published

2019-03-15

Issue

Vol. 13 (2019)

Section

Special Sections

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