INAUGURAL CYCLE
The inaugural cycle of the Etihad Museum Research Grant supports two projects exploring the heritage of the UAE.
Duo Asma Yousef Al Ahmed & Mohammed Ahmed Ahliโs research, titled ๐๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ตs ๐ช๐ฏ ๐๐ต๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ฆ: ๐ ๐๐ฐ๐ต๐ข๐ฏ๐ช๐ค๐ข๐ญ ๐๐ฆ๐ง๐ญ๐ฆ๐ค๐ต๐ช๐ฐ๐ฏ ๐ง๐ณ๐ฐ๐ฎ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ข๐ซ๐ข๐ณ, will explore the wild mountain plants of the Hajar Mountains, documenting their ecological and cultural significance through a bilingual art encyclopaedia.
Researcher Annissa Maulina Gultomโs project, titled ๐๐ง๐ง๐ณ๐ฐ๐ข๐ฅ ๐๐ช๐ฑ๐ญ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ข๐ค๐บ: ๐๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ช๐ฌ๐ฉ ๐ก๐ข๐บ๐ฆ๐ฅโ๐ด ๐๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ด๐ต๐ช๐ค ๐๐ฐ๐ถ๐ณ๐ด ๐๐ค๐ณ๐ฐ๐ด๐ด ๐๐ช๐น ๐๐ฎ๐ช๐ณ๐ข๐ต๐ฆ๐ด (1966โ1976) ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐๐ด๐ต๐ข๐ฃ๐ญ๐ช๐ด๐ฉ๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ต ๐ฐ๐ง ๐11 ๐ข๐ด ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐๐ข๐ต๐ช๐ฐ๐ฏโ๐ด ๐๐ช๐ง๐ฆ๐ญ๐ช๐ฏ๐ฆ, aims to reconstruct H.H. Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyanโs domestic tours in his first decade of rule in his efforts to seed, form, and strengthen the foundation of the United Arab Emirates.
brief
As part of establishing the Etihad Museum as a well-rounded destination, the research grant was identified as a complement to the cultural season, annual festival, and museum interventions. In 2024, Alserkal Advisory worked with Dubai Culture and Arts Authority to develop and launch a research grant initiative that seeks to position the museum as a site of knowledge production, supporting new scholarly perspectives and engaging contemporary audiences.
RESPONSE
Support novel research
The research grant was designed to support original research that will expand the discourse on UAE history and culture, establishing the museum as a platform for thought leadership and dynamic storytelling. Through this initiative, we aim to move the Etihad Museum beyond its role as a repository of artefacts, transforming into a vibrant hub of knowledge production that invites researchers to reinterpret Emirati identity through new lenses. By encouraging fresh scholarship in the UAE, the grant supports academic and cultural discourse on both national and global scales.
Contemporise a historical site
The grant further seeks to contemporise the museumโs narrative, ensuring that interpretations of the UAEโs history remain relevant and resonate with a diverse, modern audience. Through the lens of current scholarship, Etihad Museumโs narratives will continue to reflect the evolving identity of the UAE, enriching the visitor experience with perspectives that connect the past with the present.
Encourage non-traditional approaches
While rooted in scholarly ambitions, the research grant welcomes and encourages non-traditional approaches to research. Prioritizing research which contributes to new knowledge, challenges existing assumptions, or offers novel interpretations of Emirati history and culture. In the spirit of accessibility, the grant does not require a peer-reviewed paper to be produced as an outcome but rather remains open to research outcomes that may be non-linguistic, media-based, or archival.
Related Projects
Building audiences for Etihad Museum
Dialogue, exchange and experimentation at the Etihad Museum
