Non-Resident Fellow, King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies
Marwa Fakih is an MPhil/PhD student in the anthropology department at University College London and a non-resident fellow at the King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies. She specializes in visual and media anthropology with a focus on film and digital production. Her research interests include YouTube production, film industry, production cultures, nation branding, globalization, and neoliberalism. Fakih earned her master’s in sociocultural anthropology and a certificate in Middle Eastern studies from Columbia University. She is a former research associate at the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington and a former research scholar at the Institute of Religious Culture and Public Life at Columbia.
Despite the challenges still facing podcast production, the enthusiasm of khaleejis to spread podcasting culture is encouraging collaboration and the passionate embrace of podcasting across the Arab region.
With Saudi Arabia’s prolific work in online content creation and social media consumption, it is no surprise that Saudis are following the global trend in podcast creation.
Podcasting culture is rapidly spreading across the Gulf. Though it still has a long way to go before catching on with the masses, it offers opportunities for growth and lucrative business prospects.
AGSIW spoke with al-Moatasem al-Mamari, a physician engaged with youth and media, about the development of youth movements in Oman as well as their cultural impact and government interaction with them.
AGSIW spoke with Hadil Al-Moosa about media in Oman, labor laws, women’s entrepreneurship, and the role of government support for entrepreneurs.
AGSIW spoke with Kuwaiti poet and novelist Abdullah Al-Busais about the growing interest in literature among Gulf youth, publishing and censorship issues, and the recent book fair in Kuwait.
Known on social media as “The Bedouin Vegan,” Almaha Aldossari presents the vegan philosophy to her followers as both a global idea and part of Saudi identity.
Authorities in the Gulf states are wrestling with the rise of social media stars, regulating their use of social platforms while simultaneously trying to capitalize on their fame.
AGSIW spoke with the team behind Sheno Ya3ni, or so what? – a YouTube channel run by a group of Kuwaiti comedians – to learn how they have benefitted from using an online platform and how YouTube and social media affect cultural criticism in the region.
AGSIW spoke with Ali al-Awadhi, executive manager of Nabta, to learn about the Blue Lake Farm and agritourism in Kuwait.