Whose story? Narratives of nationalism in heritage production of the Arabian Peninsula

Over the past decade, all six Gulf Cooper- ation Council (GCC) states have invested considerably in the development of their local heritage industries. In parallel, these states have expanded their efforts at fos- tering home-grown nationalism. What scholarship exists on the topic of heritage production and development in the GCC tends to be predominantly anthropolog- ical, sociological or linked to museum studies, while literature on nationalism in this context tends to remain in the realms of political science. This paper addresses existing disciplinary gaps by interrogating how heritage interacts with nationalism, specifically with state-per- petuated national narratives about citizens’ shared history and common identity. The piece draws particular atten- tion to the state’s key role in mediating this process and investigates the extent to which non-state actors and grassroots initiatives are involved in heritage pro- duction and national identity formation across the Arabian Peninsula.