ISLAMIC CIVILISATION AND SAUDI NATIONAL IDENTITY AT ITHRA MUSEUM: CULTURAL HERITAGE AND EXPERIENCES OF DIGITISATION

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.