TY - JOUR
T1 - Navigating the spectacle
T2 - Landscapes of consumption in Dubai
AU - Elsheshtawy, Yasser
PY - 2008
Y1 - 2008
N2 - Dubai seems to exemplify the modern urban condition of the spectacle. The city is defined by its luxurious commercial character. Yet alternative spaces of consumption do exist, slipping between the cracks of the carefully maintained image of the city. This article uncovers these hidden spaces of consumption and contrasts them with the city's spectacular retail spaces. By juxtaposing the spectacular and the everyday I hope to offer a more balanced view of a globalizing city by arguing that citizens are not passive recipients of 'spectacular images' but that particular forms of circumvention do emerge. The increased emphasis on exclusive developments within Dubai, and its influence on the wider Middle East, suggests the potential danger of such spectacular modes of urbanism.
AB - Dubai seems to exemplify the modern urban condition of the spectacle. The city is defined by its luxurious commercial character. Yet alternative spaces of consumption do exist, slipping between the cracks of the carefully maintained image of the city. This article uncovers these hidden spaces of consumption and contrasts them with the city's spectacular retail spaces. By juxtaposing the spectacular and the everyday I hope to offer a more balanced view of a globalizing city by arguing that citizens are not passive recipients of 'spectacular images' but that particular forms of circumvention do emerge. The increased emphasis on exclusive developments within Dubai, and its influence on the wider Middle East, suggests the potential danger of such spectacular modes of urbanism.
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U2 - 10.1080/13264820802216544
DO - 10.1080/13264820802216544
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84905505804
SN - 1326-4826
VL - 13
SP - 164
EP - 187
JO - Architectural Theory Review
JF - Architectural Theory Review
IS - 2
ER -