Cultural security in the age of globalization, the case of Middle East

2. Cultural security definition
Threats to cultural security
Cultural security and Globalization
Cultural adaptation
Cultural security issues in the Middle East

9. People in the Middle Eastern
countries are worried that the
process of Globalization is
gradually robbing them of their
culture, language and tradition.
The youth are the most
vulnerable to this kind of
culture-assault. They associate
themselves with anything
American, be it fast food,
clothes, music, books, movies,
software, TV etc. They like this
products and want them
because of what they are
perceived to symbolize;
FREEDOM
CREATIVITY
MODERNITY
FREE
ENTERPRISE

10. Armed
conflicts
Terrorism Climate
change
Natural
disasters
Development
(urban
pressure)
Tourism
(garbage,
deterioration
of values)

16. loc
ali
ze
rs
glo
bal
ize
rs

17. Bahrain
Morocco
 Egypt

22.  Talk-Diva Oprah Winfrey
Show is just as popular in
Kuwait as it is in the
suburbs of California.
 Dramas like “Desperate
Housewives" and Grey’s
Anatomy” have Gulf
dwellers glued to their
television screens, just
like their American
counterparts, on sofas in
the UAE, Oman and
Bahrain.
 And even syndicated
shows like “Friends” and
“Seinfeld” still resonate
with the Gulf audience.

23. This Jim Carrey "Yes Man" movie posteron display outside a movie
house in Aleppo represents a contrary trend:
Air-brushing in more risqué images than the original as a bait to
draw in male audiences.

24.  The MBC Group has evolved
over the years to include 5
separate channels including
MBC3 which airs American
cartoons dubbed in Arabic,
MBC4 which airs American
sitcoms and dramas, as
well as the newest channel
named MBCMax which
airs the latest Hollywood
blockbusters to grace the
silver screen.
 The second biggest media
giant in the Middle East is
known as OneTV, which is
owned and operated by the
UAE. It combines the best
of both worlds, to include
western sitcoms and
movies in its monthly
repertoire.

25.  The Middle East has one of
the fastest growing
communities of online
gamers in the world, and
demographics mean this is
likely to remain true for
many years.
 About 60 per cent of the
350 million people in the
Arab world are younger
than 25, with internet
penetration in the region at
about 70 million users —
over 300 per cent growth in
the last five years,
according to numbers from
UAE-based
entrepreneurship research
portal Sindibad Business.
Internet penetration is
expected to reach 150
million users by 2015.

26. Saudis make inroads in Arab gaming industry
Fares is an important figure in the Arab world's
burgeoning online industry because he is a
character in Unearthed, the first major Arabic-
language video game developed for PlayStation 3
and Xbox by an Arab company: Saudi e-publisher
Semanoor.

27. In a region where governments have
long tried to curb Western influences,
the women of the Middle East
increasingly use fashion to make a
political statement—blending Western
concepts with distinctively Islamic
elements.
By fusing both their sense of fashion
with their faith, this growing group,
some of whom have dubbed
themselves hipster hijabs, is
reinterpreting traditional notions of
what it means to dress
conservatively. They’re spawning a
new market for fashion brands and
finding unexpected supporters among
some mainstream brands.

30.  SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS, has introduced a new initiative which celebrates
the elegance and glamour of modern Arabian women. “Jawaher” highlights
the fashion the Middle East with pieces that have been created by world-
renowned designers using crystal as a creative material to show a light
fuelled allure. The designers, include Allessanra Rich, Sohad Acouri, Zaid
Anton and more, who have all created items to reflect the glamorous lifestyle
and trendsetting Middle Eastern tradition.

32.  “Fulla” is the Arab “Barbie,”
a dark-haired, dark eyed
doll, found in a myriad of
products ranging from
coloring books to backpacks
to scooters to shampoo.
 Popular culture items
ranging from toys to
movies are re-imagined for
Muslim audiences such as
these examples found
recently in Syria.

34. It is a public art project in Egypt aimed at empowering
women through the use of street art, by encouraging the
portrayal of strong Egyptian female figures in street art and
empowering female street artists themselves to participate
in the political space of graffiti. Building on the popularity
of street art as a form of political expression during the
January 25 revolution, the aim of this project is to increase
awareness of women's issues by introducing women into
public space

42. Why is research so important.?
 Recent destruction of cultural heritage, including looting and
trafficking in antiquities, across nations of Arab spring,
Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan emphasizes the need
for research. What strategic and tactial value do terrorist
groups and militants derive from targeting libraries,
museums, mosques, shrines, and archaeological sites? Calls
to classify targeting of cultural property as a war crime, and
the suggestion by UNESCO to qualify the terrorism and
political violence as "cultural cleansing" and "cultural
genocide", compel analysis of the significance of cultural
heritage in internatational affairs and the relevance of
Cultural Security to foreign policy and global security.

43. The threats to cultural heritage in Syria certainly amplify the grounds
to consider the role, as opposed to purely the liability, of cultural
property in political and armed conflict. The progression from the
Bamiyan Buddhas (2001), to Iraq (2003), to the Arab Spring (2010),
to Mali (2012), to the ongoing destruction and looting in Syria
indicates that consideration of cultural heritage has a practical place in
security strategies…

44. UNESCO has trained experts to prevent the destruction and looting of Syria's
cultural heritage. On August 29, 2011 UNESCO chief Irina Bokova and UN
representative Lakhdar Brahimi introduced protective measures. The experts
are attempting to keep track of Syria's stolen cultural heritage, alerting
customs officials and art dealers to prevent illegal international trade. UNESCO
Director-General Irina Bokova has repeatedly called on both sides of the
Syrian conflict to do all they can to prevent the destruction of the country’s
cultural heritage amid the violence.

45. Drawing attention to the risks the ongoing conflict poses to Syria’s cultural
heritage, a United Nations committee has placed six world heritage sites in
the country on its endangered list, including the historic centre of Aleppo.
Aleppo has a long history: as a cultural hub on the Mediterranean Sea, it is
mentioned in documents dating back to the 19th century B.C.
The Ancient City of Damascus
Site of Palmyra
Ancient City of Basra
Ancient City of Aleppo
Crac des Chevaliers and Qal’at Salah El-Din
Ancient Villages of northern Syria

47. The destruction of cultural heritage has been conducted by the Islamic
State of Iraq and the Levant(ISIL) since 2014 in Iraq, Syria, and Libya.
The premeditated destruction targets various places of worship,
particularly those in Mosul, and ancient historical artifacts. In Iraq,
between the fall of Mosul in June 2014 and February 2015, ISIL has
plundered and destroyed at least 28 historical religious buildings. The
Islamic State has also reportedly destroyed the Mosul public library,
which housed more than 8,000 rare books and manuscripts
Destruction of the mosques by the ISIL is among the series of their
crimes that attempt to harm the cultural texture of the Iraqi
communities. Secretary of State John Kerry called for united action to
safeguard cultural heritage under threat by extremists groups. He noted
that culture is “the foundation of life” for many and charged ISIL with not
only “stealing lives” but “stealing the soul of millions.” He stressed that
these acts of “cultural barbarism” aren’t “just a tragedy for the Syrians
and the Iraqi people” but “a tragedy for all civilized people.”

48. The Mosque of the Prophet Jirjis before and after being destroyed by ISIL
(Iraqi Cultural Center, AP Images)

49. How can middle eastern countries save their cultural
security?
 Preserving cultural traditions and representations of
culture, such as artworks and monuments, or
 enabling integration of cultures to foster cooperation
between nations. So, one protects existing culture, while
the other uses culture as a medium for foreign relations

50. COMMENTS QUESTIONS CRITIQUES
(even)

51. THANK YOU FOR YOUR
TIME AND ATTENTION!