Fastest growing economy, largest flow of migrant workers. Dubai: How do they manage?
13/11/2007 - 20:00
13 November 2007
20.00 hrs
Lecture by Dr Rima Sabban. Assistant Professor of Sociology, Dubai University College
Dubai is a global telling tale as the World Worst Case Scenario in terms of numbers of migrants flowing into the city. It presents a polemic situation in which the managers and officials are working to keep the economy developing at a double-digit rate, while they are facing the risk of diminishing the rate of nationals in the city to less than double digits. In 2006, the city's population increased from 1.13 to 1.42 million: a whopping increase of 26%.
During the most recent amnesty granted to all illegal workers in the UAE, a total of 350,000 people opted voluntarily to leave the country. Dubai had the largest number of illegal workers. Not all of them left though; some 200,000 remain.
The city is a rich mix of multi-ethnic groups, all living and working with almost no ethnic tension. Dubai could be considered a model city in tolerance and co-existence.
How does Dubai pull this off? What do Nationals say and feel about such an experience and how do non-nationals see their role in the city? Does the Dubai experience have consequences for the way we view "Fortress Europe"?
In cooperation with De Rode Hoed and Radio Netherlands World, ASiA has developed a 6 part discussion series around the theme "People and Borders".
The initiative for this series lies with the research program "Illegal but Licit" at the University of Amsterdam (please see: www.iias.nl/ibl). Our aim is to link academic research findings with social and political debates on various forms of borders and border crossing in The Netherlands/Europe. For this purpose we introduce the following topics: the immorality of borders, immigration and integration, trafficking, identities, transnational crime and labour migration.
Each evening, a main speaker will introduce the topic based on her or his expertise, after which a discussant picked from within Dutch social and political circles, will relate the topic to contemporary, local discussions. A moderator will then involve the audience in an active exploration and discussion of the theme.
Locatie
De Rode Hoed
Keizersgracht 102
1015 CV Amsterdam
Tel.: 020 - 638 56 06
Toegangsprijs: €8,-/ €7,-
Passe-partout
zes lezingen €35,00
Reserveren is wenselijk
Informatie: www.rodehoed.nl
Research website: http://www.iias.nl/ibl
The series continues on:
11 december: `Women trafficking`, by Diana Wong (Malaysia)
19 februari 2008: `Interne grenzen bij Hindoestaanse jongeren`, door Ellen Bal (Nederland)
12 maart: `Transnational crime`, by Itty Abraham (VS)
22 april: `Labour migration`, by Malini Sur (India)