Museums as National Identity Catalysts: A Typological Study of Museums in Doha

The Qatari society has a distinctive modern identity shaped by culture, history, a specific belief, and values. The country is in fact in the midst of building a national profile backed with a development plan illustrated in Qatar National Vision 2030. The main catalyst in the process of both identity creation and representation is museums. In order to understand this identity, the country’s historic, social, and cultural factors will be studied throughout this research. How truthful the projected identity is to the reality of Qatar, and how this identity is publicly perceived are two main entities that are another main subject of study followed by an investigation of how museums represent and shape this image, acting as a catalyst for Qatar’s national image. Furthermore, with a fast-growing museum field, studying these institutions and their architecture, their broader impact and applications on Qatar and the Qatari people is the main focus of this research. Seven museums will be the focus of this research: The Museum of Islamic Art, Msheireb Museums (Radwani House, Bin Jelmood House, Company House, and Mohamed Bin Jassim House), and The National Museum of Qatar. These museums have been chosen according to their identity representation aspect, and they will be examined through an analysis approach with defined architectural tools.