As the first Gulf city to experience oil urbanization; Kuwait Citys transformation in the mid-twentieth century inaugurated a now-familiar regional narrative: a small traditional town of mudbrick courtyard houses and plentiful foot traffic transformed into a modern city with marble-fronted buildings; vast suburbs; and wide highways. In Kuwait Transformed; Farah Al-Nakib connects the citys past and present; from its settlement in 1716 to the twenty-first century; through the bridge of oil discovery. She traces the relationships between the urban landscape; patterns and practices of everyday life; and social behaviors and relations in Kuwait. The history that emerges reveals how decades of urban planning; suburbanization; and privatization have eroded an open; tolerant society and given rise to the insularity; xenophobia; and divisiveness that characterize Kuwaiti social relations today. The book makes a call for a restoration of the city that modern planning eliminated. But this is not simply a case of nostalgia for a lost landscape; lifestyle; or community. It is a claim for a "right to the city"—the right of all inhabitants to shape and use the spaces of their city to meet their own needs and desires.
#2308997 in eBooks 2016-01-12 2016-02-25File Name: B01C7UQ37O
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Details from the history of dancing and datingBy L. KayeI must say this account of high school prom not only sent me back in time; it is clearly related to todays high school culture. Very easy read; full of fun facts and details that I never would have thought had so much to do with my own views of the world. I was a 50s baby and grew up in a culture where a girl had to have a date to every dance. When I was ready to dance; boys still asked girls out and girls asking boys out was just starting. Needless to say my junior prom was the most memorable and my senior winter prom was just as fun. Although I didnt have what I thought to be a fancy dress; my mother made it by hand and I still felt beautiful. This book really gave me a foundation to refer to in terms of not only how I grew up but how my daughter grew up and my step son who recently went to his high school prom. Ann Anderson does a great job in defining a culture that is still alive and well in the 21st Century.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. even a great read for the anti-prom rebelsBy KarrieRemember in "Pretty in Pink" when Andie confesses she might skip her prom; and her way-too-cool-for-school boss; Iona; is mortified. She warns: "I have this girlfriend who didnt go to hers; and every once in a while; she gets this really terrible feeling--you know; like something is missing. She checks her purse; and then she checks her keys. She counts her kids; she goes crazy; and then she realizes that nothing is missing. She decided it was side effects from skipping the prom."I was the black lipstick and fishnets wearing punk who scoffed at that scene."Not me;" I said. "I will never regret missing prom."And I never did regret missing mine; even though it was only because I got dumped three days prior; when the return policy on the dreaded dress had expired; and I wanted nothing more than to burn it up in a bonfire. Instead; I went out with a girlfriend; and it still stands as one of my favorite nights out.Truth be told; though; I never wanted to go in the first place. I loathed the very concept of being cooped up in the school gym with several hundred of my classmates; wearing a girly dress and shoes. I might have been more into it if I could have worn my Chuck Taylors (or better yet; a boys suit and my Chuck Taylors); but my mother was having none of that. So when I got dumped; it came as a relief. No prom. No dress. No pumps.Even still; I do sense I missed out on something big. I am old enough now that classmates from high school have started posting photos up and giggling about their Aqua-Net hairstyles.So now you know my particular biases coming into this book.What I love about Ann Andersons writing is the extensive (and expansive) cultural; historical; and anthropological investigation she has done; bringing meaning and context to a subject many people disregard as too fraught with teen angst to take seriously. She certainly helped me understand my own reaction to (and against) prom as a concept -- then and now -- by examining the intense marketing forces and cultural assumptions at work. I was especially intrigued by the chapter about rituals; perhaps because I had missed out on all those rituals myself.Ann is relentless in her research and ethical in revealing her own biases as well. At the same time; she writes in an accessible; fun style that keeps you hooked all the way through.Even if you were a rebel who skipped the prom; this book promises to spark some interesting insights.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Rite of passage for American youthBy Tom AllardSex; fashion; tradition; commerce; convention; tunes ;tatoos; taboos; freaking; family; past; present and possible future of an American rite of passage roughly as intense as the first drivers license test. Prom night. The generations flow; the experience morphs; the fashions fluctuate but the constant remains; "teens of any era love to dance." June of 1884; the first remembered prom; is as different from the June 2012 prom as it is similar. Girls attend with girls; guys with guys; couples and singles and chaperones and music. Proms now include limos; hotel rooms; photos and great social stress. "Segregated proms are tradition..."said a Georgia student in 2003; "but theres going to be black people catering there so its not racist." Race; alcohol and identity still influence the experience.Yes; this is an in-depth; critical examination of the American phenomenon with overviews historically; socially; and economically. Its more than that. It illuminates the unique importance of the "Prom dress" and how that is tied to 17 magazine and MTV and the social strata of modern demographics. It is about a young girls dream date that "showers me with flowers and compliments me the whole night through. Nothing would go wrong on prom night and perfect would be the only way to describe it." Its a look at dreams and dollars.Ms. Anderson writes with an instant accessibility; absolute authority and backs it all up with solid references. She mixes anecdote with entertainment. Proms figure prominently in American cinema as a readily recognizable glue between generations. The book tweaked my prom memories (I attended two) and described the annual ritual of my students. I will see my juniors and seniors off to Prom this year with new eyes. Tom Allard; Pasadena Polytechnic School
