Approaching Class Formation in the Gulf Arab States

Abstract

An oft-used representation of recent changes in the Gulf Arab states is a pair of photographs comparing a 20-year old snapshot of the main thoroughfare of Dubai, Sheikh Zayed Road, to the same stretch of road today. In the space of just two short decades, the pictures reveal a remarkable transformation. The older shot shows a few solitary buildings, surrounded by vast expanses of desert and a dusty road. The more recent picture portrays a stunning panorama of glittering lights and towering skyscrapers. Science fiction analogies are often used to describe this sight—the world’s tallest buildings defy architectural logic as they jostle and twist in the skyline. Up until the puncturing of Dubai’s construction boom in the wake of the 2008 global financial crisis, a widely quoted (although probably exaggerated) rumor put the number of cranes at work in the city at one-quarter of the world’s entire stock.