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Dressing the nation? Symbolizing Emirati national identity and boundaries through national dress

ABSTRACT Through an ethnography of young Emirati citizens from Dubai, this article explores the symbolic role of their national dress in the construction and maintenance of Emirati national identity. Taking into consideration the ethnic and racial diversities among Emirati citizens, and the demographic imbalance in the Emirates, I argue that the national dress functions either to convince Emiratis that “they are Emirati enough” or to remind migrants who Emirati nationals are. These everyday performances simultaneously create a “common culture” that determines the tenacity of Emirati national identity, even in the absence of common ancestors or, at times, of citizenship. Informed by theories on everyday nationhood and performance, this article draws connections between the Gulf, an understudied region, and the “Western” societies, where in both of the contexts, a presumed common culture is increasingly instrumentalised as a justification for the demarcation of national boundaries and consolidated by everyday performances.