Branding, legitimation and the power of museums: The case of the Louvre Abu Dhabi

Authors

  • Btihaj Ajana King’s College London Digital Humanities Room 222, 26-29 Drury Lane London WC2B 5RL

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.29311/mas.v13i3.333

Abstract

Museums and cultural developments are on the rise in the Gulf region. The United Arab Emirates is home to some of the most ambitious and extravagant museum projects in the world. In this article, I consider the example of the Louvre Abu Dhabi, exploring some of its underlying dynamics and context. I focus mainly on the relationship between branding and legitimation while placing my analysis within a wider critical debate, which includes discussions on the link between museums and identity, the legitimizing role of architecture, and the various contentious concerns and controversies surrounding the Louvre Abu Dhabi project. I conclude that the United Arab Emirates and other neighbouring countries have an excellent opportunity for innovation in the cultural field if they are willing to critically and ethically found their cultural developments on an ethos of inclusivity, openness, experimentation, non-exploitation and curatorial courage.

Author Biography

Btihaj Ajana, King’s College London Digital Humanities Room 222, 26-29 Drury Lane London WC2B 5RL

Btihaj Ajana is Lecturer at the Departments of Media, Culture and Creative Industries, and Digital Humanities at King’s College London. Her teaching, writing and research interests are concerned with the areas of culture and identity, ethics and politics, and the philosophy of
digital media. Btihaj is currently developing projects on cultural and creative processes with a particular focus on the emerging cultural and museum initiatives in Arab states, and how these are reconfiguring narratives about culture and identity, heritage and memory in the region.

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Published

07/01/2015

How to Cite

Ajana, B. (2015). Branding, legitimation and the power of museums: The case of the Louvre Abu Dhabi. Museum & Society, 13(3), 316–335. https://doi.org/10.29311/mas.v13i3.333

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Section

Articles