Studies
& Research
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Studies
The Research & Studies Department of Hamdan Bin Mohammed Heritage Center is specialized in conducting researches and studies on various domains related to UAE’s heritage, culture, and ways of preserving them throughout time and generations. It further concerns spreading out such legacy in a way that serves the UAE society in particular and GCC societies in general. It does so through an operational model based on the best international standards, scientific research methodologies, advanced technical applications, and commitment to the highest international quality standards in all activities, programs, and initiatives. Furthermore, the framework of the Department relies on qualifying and improving a nationally competent workforce that is capable of accomplishing tasks of research as well as heritage and historical studies to carry out a positive and tangible improvement in the study and documentation of UAE’s heritage and culture. For doing so, advanced work mechanisms corresponding to UAE’s standards are introduced.
Vision, Mission, and Objectives of the Department:
It is related to the general vision of the Center that revolves around “becoming a credible source and a reference in safeguarding, preserving and promoting UAE’s cultural heritage.”
- To preserve, record, and document UAE’s national cultural heritage, while enriching the same with scientific studies and researches as well as providing heritage-related sources and references for researchers of this domain.
- To establish the heritage culture in the UAE society and raise awareness of the significance of UAE inherited values, traditions, and customs.
- To make use of heritage in the academic, educational, cultural, and media domains in UAE.
- To scientifically document UAE’s heritage and historical content.
- To participate in the social and economic development in the Emirate of Dubai by supporting the role of heritage activities in enriching tourism in the Emirate and substantiate Dubai strategy 2021.
- To raise and increase awareness of the cultural and historical legacy of the state, preserve the cultural identity, and substantiate the cultural security by participating in creating a vivid and influential cultural environment.
- To enhance the Center’s role as a pioneer publisher of the heritage content across the country.
- To promote community participation in giving consideration to, spreading out, and maintaining the national heritage.
- To develop institutional partnerships of the Center through the active participation in the national, regional, and international activities and forums, and promote openness to other regional and international cultures.
Department Divisions
This division is specialized in executing various tasks and programs aiming to enrich UAE’s society with the necessary information on the national cultural heritage, different traditional knowledge, and cultural patterns that connect the individual to the group and the past to the present through the following activities:
- Funding researches
- Funding projects
- Funding the printing, publication, and distribution of books
This division is specialized in collecting and documenting the intangible oral heritage as well as collecting old documents related to the national heritage and history of the country. All heritage and historical materials collected by the Department are archived within the Department’s archive.
The collected heritage materials are transformed to be used in the heritage radio station affiliated to the Center enriching radio scripts by such materials.
The libraries Division is specialized in managing the library of the Center and promoting the distinguished printed, audio, visual, and electronic knowledge-related materials that are specialized in the UAE, GCC, Arabic, and international heritage through providing the proper knowledge-related material and establishing exchange channels with the corresponding entities. Besides, it participates in international book fairs as well as lectures and forums related to heritage.
Furthermore, it sets up the basics of collaboration and dedication regarding the publications of the center with entities inside and outside the country.
Partnerships
To achieve its objectives and implement its strategies, the Department believes in the significance of setting up a base of national and international institutional partnerships. Within the framework of such partnerships, experience and best practices are exchanged. In addition, the best practices and applications in the domain of heritage research and studies are shared. Such partnerships extend to include a wide spectrum of institutions. For illustration, the Department engages in many partnerships, the most important among which are as follows:
- Zayed University
- University of Sharjah
- United Arab Emirates University
- Ajman University
- College of Islamic and Arabic Studies
- Land Department:The Center signed a cooperation agreement with the Land Department to strengthen cooperation ties with government institutions as well as to actively participate in the community development and achieve the objectives pursued by both parties to serve UAE’s heritage and culture.
- Juma AI-Majid Center for Culture and Heritage: The Center signed a cooperation agreement with Juma Al-Majid Center for Culture and Heritage. Both parties thereunder agreed to coordinate their efforts in their joint work and to set up mechanisms for that work to exchange information and its sources in all relative subjects.
- Regional: Secretariat General for Centres of Documents and Studies of G.C.C States: Believing in the significance of the shared history of the region and the complete unity of the cultures of the local and G.C.C societies and out of its concern to encourage the scientific research and set collaboration links in G.C.C countries in the domain of heritage and national culture, the Center, represented by Research & Studies Department, took the initiative to join the Secretariat General in 2014 as an active and participating member.International:UNESCO:
The Center joined The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to exchange experience. This is clarified in the collaboration with the UN in safeguarding cultural heritage by seeking the help of experts in organizing workshops for the Center’s staff, associate fellows, and heritage researchers.
Department Events
This competition targets age groups of male and female school students aiming to encourage reading and motivate students to read and gain knowledge. It also highlights the significance of Arabic language as a conceptual and cultural instrument that supports next generations. Moreover, it encourages talented and creative students in the field of story writing and promotes competitiveness among them.
This competition aims to target male and female students of public schools in Dubai Educational Zone to connect them to the country’s heritage through colloquial proverbs. It also aims to establish the heritage culture within the society, raise awareness of UAE inherited values, customs, and tradition; strengthen the national identity, and discover and foster talented students encouraging them to comprehend inherited values and folklore by spreading out competitiveness. Due to the rising demand, the competition throughout the years expanded its reach to include the category of school administrations, teacher and parents.
The Department organizes heritage-related lectures and Forums, in collaboration with the governmental and academic authorities and institutions and schools in the country, to document and establish UAE’s culture and introduce its heritage. It organizes online lectures by providing experts from the Center
- Book fairs (Sharjah International Book Fair, Abu Dhabi international book fair)
- Abu Dhabi International Hunting and Equestrian Exhibition
- Police book fair
The Department adopts an approach that is based on engaging the local community in national heritage- revival efforts. For manifestation, it strives to attract people who are interested in and concerned with heritage issues. For achieving so, the Department came up with a creative means of collaboration represented in employing a huge number of the competent workforce as collaborators. Such an attempt achieved unprecedented success.
The department aims to organize various initiatives related to UAE’s heritage and history that would contribute to enlightening the members of the society on the significance of preserving, spreading, raising awareness of, and introducing UAE’s history and heritage to the world. In this regard, the Center launched its first initiative of the Research and Studies Department that is ‘Wathiqati initiative”. This initiative includes a public call for official and non-official sources, institutions, and individuals to participate in preserving the historical documents and collectibles they possess through submitting them to Hamdan Bin Mohammed Heritage Center. This will help safeguard this valuable heritage from damage and loss. The Center will then archive them in a scientific, technical, organized, and safe way, and provide them to researchers and students interested in the historical studies. Additionally, some of the documents will be showcased in local and international exhibitions and fairs.