Cultural life scripts organize culturally shared expectations regarding order and timing of life events during a prototypical life course. As such cultural life scripts can be benchmarked against the own life story and hence influence the personal importance of own autobiographical memories. Yet, if the cultural life script is no longer what it used to be, the construction of personal identity is likely to deviate from the life script. Having gone through profound and rapid cultural and societal changes in the last 60 years, the United Arab Emirates provide a unique environment to study the changeability of cultural life scripts and its consequences for autobiographical memory and identity. Drawing from the past and current Emirati life script and society, Christin Camia’s research shows that older and younger Emirati seem to hold two different cultural life scripts. While the older generation is aware of the difference between past and current Emirati life, the younger generation seems disconnected from the historical past and instead well immersed in current Emirati life. This shows not only in the cultural life script that young Emirati construct but also in their autobiographical narratives. Contrary to what one would expect, given the collectivistic character of the traditional Emirati society, Emirati students show a similar individualistic narrative focus as US-American students. A rapidly changed culture apparently alternates the cultural life script and autobiographical memory, which consequently may lead to shifts in personal and collective identity.

Speaker
Christin Camia, Assistant Professor of Psychology, Zayed University

Moderated by
Maya Kesrouany, Assistant Professor of Literature and Arab Crossroads Studies

In Person (NYUAD Campus) and on Zoom

The seminar is open to the NYUAD community and by invitation. Registration has closed.