Dubai’s population is unique in that its nationals represent only 15% of the total population, with expatriates comprising the other 85%. Two questionnaires were developed to collect data. One was written in English and designed for non-nationals who live and work in Dubai, with the aim of mapping the cultural diversity in Dubai as well as investigating non-national’s perceptions about living in Dubai and its cultural diversity. The second was written in Arabic and designed for UAE nationals with the aim of investigating their opinions regarding cultural diversity and multiculturalism in the UAE. An unstructured interview was also utilised in order to collected detailed data from senior nationals. Data was analysed from descriptive statistics perspectives. Findings reveal the common concepts of multiculturalism in the United Arab Emirates, which refers to diverse ethnicities living in the Emirates and where UAE nationals recognise the rights of all ethnicities within a human rights framework. Additionally, UAE nationals and the UAE government accept the presence of this cultural diversity, enjoying the mutual respect and benefits arising from it. Multiculturalism refers also to the UAE government’s rules and regulations designed to protect nationals and non-nationals’ rights in celebrating their cultures and religions. Further, Multiculturalism refers to the continuous management of this cultural diversity by the UAE government through implementing governmental strategies and carefully planned policies aimed to address this diversity, to manage the challenges created by it, and to manage the forces of change in order to promote social harmony where both UAE nationals and non-nationals alike can derive maximum benefit from the cultural diversity.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:499666 |
| Date | January 2009 |
| Creators | Obaid, Asma Ali |
| Publisher | University of Aberdeen |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Source | http://digitool.abdn.ac.uk:80/webclient/DeliveryManager?pid=25225 |
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