Zayed University students explore UAE’s generation gap

A group at Zayed University is conducting a research project exploring the generation gap between the students, and their parents' generation.

From left, Jaffar Mahmoud, 21, Abduallah Shahab, 21, and Omar Al Khori, 19, students at Zayed University. Christopher Pike / The National

ABU DHABI // Omar Al Khori does not know how to hunt as his father and grandfather did, and rarely visits the desert.

“We do these cultural activities but not as often as we should, or like it used to be,” said Mr Al Khori, 21, an Emirati student at Zayed University.

“Even Arabic language isn’t used like it used to be. People speak more English and westernisation has been a big influence and taken over.”

Mr Al Khori is one of a group of students at the federal university addressing the gap between young Emiratis and their parents, as part of a programme to teach them the skills needed to enter the field of research.

"We're putting an image to Emirati identity," said Abduallah Shahab, 21, another team member.

One hundred students of both genders will be surveyed as part of the university scheme to increase research capacity in the UAE.

Jaffar Mahmoud, 21, a student of international affairs, is leading the research project, which has been running for three years.

“We’re measuring some of the cultural values, such as collective versus individual values, and conceptions of masculinity and femininity and the traits associated with them,” Mr Mahmoud said.

Mr Shahab said he expected to discover major differences from one generation to the next, “in the context of the UAE’s rapid social change, where most countries would have taken decades to do what the UAE has gone through much quicker”.

Mr Mahmoud said: “People of our generation are used to this rapid change and modernisation more than the previous generations, who might have been accustomed to things happening at a certain rate. Now, we have change and influences from all over the world.”

Mr Al Khori said his generation had been “exposed to modernisation and it’s a big aspect of national culture right now”.

“The normal traditions like falconry and camel racing are not as practised as they used to be, so I’m sure the responses from the older generation will show a difference in how they used to think,” he said.

Mr Shahab said he had never been interested in cultural activities.

“My parents tried to push me to do it but I didn’t like it. I’ve never been fishing or camel racing, pearling or any of these things,” he said. “To a certain extent, I think we do embrace parts of the culture but not as much as we used to. People are more interested in going to malls, interested in cars. It’s not as culturally traditional.”

Mr Shahab said the cultural generation gap between him and his father was much greater than that between his father and grandfather, although the discovery of oil in his father’s generation changed everything.

He said he appreciated that life had not been easy for his father.

“Even getting water for the family or walking many kilometres to school,” Mr Shahab said. “Mum got married at 16, Dad started working at 18 and here we are, going to university.

“Our dads had many more responsibilities. Maybe if we’d had that hardship, we’d appreciate these traditions.”

When it comes to celebrating National Day, Mr Al Khori said things were much different.

“It wouldn’t be celebrated in the same way like today, people painting their cars, beeping their horns,” he said.

But Mr Mahmoud said he believed the sentiment was the same.

“On a superficial level it’s changed but it still means a lot to people. You could say the same about the US where people would celebrate independence day differently.”

Mr Shahab acknowledged that “the older generation wishes the young generation embraced the traditions more”.

“It just comes down to modernisation, and we don’t live in the same era and don’t have to do what they did to survive and live,” he said. “It’s an important part of our history, though, so it has to be preserved.”