Contrary to narratives of universally positive modernization in the United Arab Emirates, this article draws on the lives and work of women artists to offer a more detailed view of the UAE’s rapid urbanization and development. First, the article shows how changing educational structures and systems led to the privileging of the English language, which has resulted in differential generational access to a contemporary art world that operates predominantly in English. Second, the article looks at the losses of urbanization illustrated by artists reflecting on the changing experience of community, gendered norms of public behavior, the role of buildings and monuments in navigation and identity, and resource exploitation.

与阿拉伯联合酋长国普遍积极现代化的叙述相反，本文借鉴了女画家的生活和作品，以更详细地介绍阿联酋的快速城市化和发展。首先，本文说明了不断变化的教育结构和制度如何导致英语特权的产生，从而导致代际进入当代艺术世界（主要使用英语）的途径有所不同。其次，本文着眼于艺术家所反映的城市化的损失，这些损失反映了社区不断变化的经验，性别规范的公共行为，建筑物和古迹在航行和身份识别中的作用以及资源开发。