Claiming change and tradition in the United Arab Emirates: women’s empowerment as a public diplomacy strategy

Willow F. Williamson ()

Place Branding and Public Diplomacy, 2022, vol. 18, issue 4, No 4, 335-345

Abstract: Abstract The United Arab Emirates (UAE) employs a public diplomacy strategy that highlights how women’s past and changing roles contribute to society and the nation. The aim is to be seen as a modern Muslim country with an international leadership position. Through participant observation of four events and sites in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, and 12 in-depth interviews with both expat and UAE women entrepreneurs and UAE Government officials, this article analyzes the role of gender in public diplomacy and implications of UAE governmental representations of women. It asks how women’s empowerment enters the policy discourse in the UAE, how it is deployed, and what its policy goal is. In other words, who are the representations of women for and how do these images fortify the image of the UAE as a nation state? Through the themes of visibility, agency, and identity, it examines definitions of empowerment to account for the diversity of experiences and understandings of women’s contributions in the UAE. The UAE embraces traditional roles while also claiming change, which simultaneously expands and constrains women’s positions and choices.

Keywords: UAE; Abu Dhabi; Public diplomacy; Women’s empowerment; Gender (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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DOI: 10.1057/s41254-021-00256-w

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