The Sociology of Dubai

Sociology should not be ethnocentric and teachers can help avoid parochialism by guiding students to this excellent radio documentary It’s also worth checking out the Royal Geographical Society website - after all, Geography is a social science (well, at least partly - it combines natural and social science I guess). Expand your mind - think about other places. And who knows, maybe one of your students will apply for the Journey of a Lifetime in a few years time?

Says Nick Hunt, who made the programme: “Beneath the gleaming skyscrapers of downtown Dubai, twenty Indian men huddle on a rooftop under a torn plastic sheet. Homeless, jobless and far from their families, some have been trapped here for years, victims both of the economic downturn and the systematic exploitation of migrant labour. I follow in the footsteps of one, ex-construction worker Ramu, who has managed to make the journey home to a remote part of rural Andhra Pradesh. Ramu’s story is the story of how the Dubai dream turned sour, and of the hardships faced by migrants when boom turns to bust…”