NEWS
Universities Play Major Roles in Preserving Cultural Heritage and Generating Knowledge
Sakhir – University of Bahrain (Ali Al-Sabbaq)
September 22, 2022
Associate Professor of Modern Literary Criticism and narratology at the College of Arts, University of Bahrain, Dr. Dheya Abdulla Al-Kaabi, stressed the importance of universities major roles in generating and producing knowledge, and creating cultural innovation within the knowledge-based economy.
Dr. Al-Kaabi participated in the Fourth Intangible Cultural Heritage Forum, held by the Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities on 20 – 21 September 2022.
Dr. Al-Kaabi, head of the Arabic Language and Islamic Studies Department at the university, touched on the universities’ roles in establishing digital cultural innovation laboratories for heritage preservation, and academic and cultural partnerships with some international cultural organizations to create cultural cadres, manage archives, and preserve cultural heritage through introducing academic disciplines at the bachelor’s and master’s level.
Experts and specialized researchers participated in the Forum organized by the Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities, aiming to contribute to Bahrain’s efforts to preserve intangible cultural heritage, given that UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage recognizes the importance of intangible cultural heritage as a crucible of cultural diversity and crucial factor ensuring sustainable development.
Dr. Al-Kaabi talked about the vital role University of Bahrain has played and continues to play in preserving tangible and intangible cultural heritage through some projects.
Dr. Al-Kaabi holds a PhD in Arabic Language and Literature from School of Graduate Studies, University of Jordan (Major of Modern Literary Criticism and narratology), for her thesis titled, “Transformations of the Ancient Arab Narrative, a Study in Cultural Patterns and Issues of Interpretation”.
Dr. Al-Kaabi is interested in many areas of research, including heritage. She has published some books in this field, including “The Arab Folk Narratives”, Cultural Representations and Interpretation” in 2014, and the encyclopedia “Bahraini Folk Tales, A Thousand and One Stories”, which is a project of collection and codification conducted in 2018.
Dr. Al-Kaabi has also published several peer-refereed scientific research in the field of narratology and modern literary criticism and has participated in several international and regional conferences.
