Dimensions of Meanings of a Kuwaiti Home

Fawaz Alshatti (The University of Kansas)

The oil discovery in Kuwait led the country to go through several development stages in which the built environment experienced massive transformations. This qualitative study defines the cultural identity of traditional (prior to 1952) and contemporary environments in Kuwait. The environment in which the study refers to are specifically housing environments. The study probes the continuity between the identity of traditional and current houses in the country. In-depth interviews were conducted with some older Kuwaiti population, and some young Kuwaiti residents as the research's main source of data.

The study analyzes the cultural identity of houses as how a culture is represented through the way houses are designed and utilized. Also, it reveals that there is a continuity between the identity of traditional and contemporary houses in Kuwait. The study indicates that the current Kuwaiti publication is moving away from their traditional lifestyles to more western lifestyles, which reflected individuality and self-identity representation of homeowners in housing design. Indeed, the study concludes that there are seven dimensions of meaning associated with a Kuwaiti home.