Abstract:
Globalisation is perplexingly ubiquitous phenomenon which substantially reshapes local mechanisms including cities as nexuses of localisation/globalisation. This paper is structured based on two primary hypothesises. First, the globalisation is not a new phenomenon, but it is a historic process which is intensified by neoliberalism. Then, the impacts of globalisation on locals are various due to diversity of domestic systems. However, academics extensively study the globalisation and its impacts on local mechanisms including cities’ built environment in the developed countries. The transformation of pre-existing mechanisms and their impacts on cities in developing countries in general and, the Middle East in particular, are generally, if not completely, neglected. By deployment of Deleuzian concept of ‘assemblage’, the authors endeavour to consider the physical transformation of Dubai based on investigation of the pre-existing local mechanisms such as tribalism and their changes in three primary periods; the pre-oil era, the post-oil era and then neo-liberalism. Dubai is a sheikhdom in the south of Persian Gulf which is mostly recognised as a new global city. Contrary to the other sheikhdoms in the region which largely lean on oil-money, Dubai’s economy embeds in tourism, real estate, banking and re-exports, amongst others. Dubai is mostly known by its architectural iconic buildings such as Burj Al-Khalifa, the tallest building in the world, Palm islands, Burj Al-Arab and gigantic shopping malls alongside the large numbers of business towers and the gated communities. These urban projects have shaped Dubai’s identity. This investigation will show that how the process of globalisation instantly transforms Dubai as a fishing village into a global city.
