ISLAMIC CIVILISATION AND SAUDI NATIONAL IDENTITY AT ITHRA MUSEUM: CULTURAL HERITAGE AND EXPERIENCES OF DIGITISATION
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Date
2025
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Publisher
Saudi Digital Library
Abstract
This thesis investigates audience experiences of digitisation at Ithra Museum, Saudi Arabia. It
demonstrates the impact of digitisation on the preservation of Saudi cultural Heritage and the
production of collective memory through the exhibitions at Ithra. Overall, it reveals Islamic
civilisation to be a central aspect of the view of Saudi national identity produced at this
museum. Its originality lies in its exploration of the relationship that Ithra constructs between
Islamic civilisation and Saudi national identity in the digital age, considering the Museum’s
international standpoint. It makes two contributions to museum studies: first, it investigates
how the cultural context of a Saudi museum relates to the wider context of global Islamic
culture; second, it asks how technology is being used in the context of Saudi museum practise.
The thesis uses a mixed-methods approach based on the analysis of primary quantitative and
qualitative data collected by means of a questionnaire with both closed- and open-ended
questions, a second, closed-ended questionnaire and a structured interview. The first and
second chapters of the thesis investigate audience experiences of digitisation at Ithra and how
these affect their perspective on national identity. The third and fourth chapters explore the
impact of digitisation at Ithra museum on Saudi collective memory by evaluating Ithra
members’ approach to heritage preservation. The fifth and sixth chapters further consider the
audience experience of digitisation and how this affects their views on the conservation of
Saudi Arabian cultural heritage and the authenticity of museum objects.
Description
ارفقت أطروحة الدكتوراه وما يثبت حصولي على الدرجة لم أتمكن من ارفاق الوثيقة التي سوف استلمها بمشيئة الله يوم الأربعاء تاريخ 9 جولاي 2025 ارفقت ما يثبت ذلك ارجو قبول طلبي حتى أتمكن من انهاء بعثتي من سفير بعر غدا بسهولة .
حيث انكم رفضتم طلب وهو يتضمن الرسالة وما يثبت اجتياز المرحلة. ارجو منكم عند الرفض توضيح السبب في الايميل حتى أتمكن من معرفته وتعديله
Keywords
Digitisation -Ithra Museum- Saudi cultural Heritage - Collective memory -Islamic civilisation -Saudi national identity- Authenticity.