Cooling the Arab Gulf: How Air-Conditioning Changed Everything

NYUAD Institute

In the Arab Gulf, air-conditioning consumes about 60% of the domestic consumption of electricity. Yet, the ascendency of this technology is far from simple. Beyond simply providing coolness, air-conditioning transformed life as people knew it. In a remarkably short period of time, this seemingly innocent device reshaped houses, cities, practices of daily life, social relations, and even, bodies. Today, one can argue there is no society that is more air-conditioned than in the Gulf, where even the outdoors is being air-conditioned. This talk brings historical and ethnographic insights to explore how this energy-intensive technology became ubiquitous in the Gulf and to what consequences. Speaker Marwa Koheji, Humanities Research Fellow, NYUAD Moderated by Amr Adel Galal, Chapter President of ASHRAE Falcon (UAE) In Collaboration with NYUAD Humanities Research Fellowship for the Study of the Arab World