National Dress in the UAE: Constructions of Authenticity

Abstract

It is easy to assume that national dress as it exists today was an integral part of people’s lives in the pre-oil era, and that this historical connection is the reason that many khaleeji citizens often hold on to it so dearly. However, this Quick Study will argue that the national dress represented as part of deeply rooted history and culture in the UAE is constructed and that the dishdasha and ʿabaya are not as authentic as commonly portrayed.