Berkley Center

In Qatar, most streets are unnamed, and buildings do not have house numbers. There is no such thing as a mailbox outside a home. Until recently, Doha was enough of a small town that street names and house numbers were unnecessary, but Qatar has seen unprecedented growth and change. These forces of rapid economic growth and globalization have altered traditional Qatari culture and created a uniquely modern, yet traditional society in the twenty-first century.

Qataris make up only around 15 percent of the population of Qatar, while the rest is composed of foreign workers, most of whom come to Qatar for temporary employment. With Qatar’s economy growing quickly, oil, natural gas, construction, and finance are just a few of the sectors that have drawn people to work in Qatar. This mix of peoples and cultures makes a visit to one of Doha’s bustling malls one of the most diverse environments I have experienced, with Qatari families in a mix of traditional and modern dress, and expats and workers from all over the world speaking innumerable languages.

The juxtaposition of the contemporary with the deeply traditional and the mix of peoples and cultures can be quite disconcerting at first. Women wearing jet-black abayas and shaylas, showing only their eyes, drive white Land Cruisers with racing stripes. Outside of Doha, men in long, white robes and checkered ghutra headscarves race ATVs over the sand dunes. The class differences between the Qatari elite, expats, and foreign workers are blatantly obvious and seemingly static, which can paint a negative image of Qatari society.

However, this mix of ideas and cultures can catalyze positive changes. For example, Georgetown and the Qatar Foundation collaborated to implement Western safety construction codes in building the School of Foreign Service--Qatar's new facilities. The Qatar Foundation’s use of American building codes and safety standards in their construction ensured that workers were not injured on the project. The Qatar Foundation has expressed their plans to keep using these standards on future projects, which will make construction projects much safer for workers.

Qatar will only continue to develop and become even more globalized as its economy expands at upwards of 15 percent per year and Qatar’s successful bid to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup will further reshape Qatar’s landscape. Qatar plans to have at least five stadiums capable of holding 45,000 to 50,000 fans—today, only one stadium of that size, the Khalifa International Stadium, has been constructed. Air conditioning technology that can lower Qatar’s average summer high from over 100 degrees to bearable conditions for players and fans has yet to be invented. Currently, public transportation is limited to several bus routes in Doha; by 2022 Qatar will build a fully functioning subway system.

Qatar’s economic growth, appeal for employment, and participation in global events and affairs have affected Qatari culture and society in many ways. In the long run, increased international dialogue and the sharing of ideas and values can only enable Qatar to pick and choose how best to preserve valued traditions, and also how to innovate and make their own vision of a modern, Qatari society.