The Oil-Based Foundation of Qatar’s Sustainable and Luxurious Society
Modernization has been a key element in developing a society based on luxury. Over the course of time, modernization has taken up different forms with the most important being industrialization that began in the 16th century. It was the process where nations transformed their agriculture based economies towards manufacturing based ones. This involved the use of fossil fuels as they helped power different machines,etc. However, with time, the world discovered different elements to generate energy from with the most valued being Oil. With the discovery of oil, the world witnessed a certain wave of ‘modernity’ alongside socio-economic and cultural transitions for many. Hannes Bergthaller in his work titled “Fossil Freedoms” introduces us to the idea of ‘petro-modernity’. He refers to the idea of a new era of modernity that the world witnessed after discovering oil as this helped develop motorized transportation, lubricants, fertilizers, etc. and helped the building of a luxury based consumer society, which exists till date. Signs and products of petro-modernity are still visibly present around the world in the form of emblems of modernity.
The luxurious lifestyle that we witness today as the brand image of Qatar is a product of petro-modernity as well. The first site for oil exploration in Qatar was set up in the 1930s. This was known as the beginning of a new era of development in life and society in Qatar. Company House – one of the 4 museums under Msheireb Museums, proudly displays the interactions of the Qatari nation and its people with petro-modernity in the heart of sustainability in Qatar, Msheireb. This museum sponsored by the one of the largest oil companies, Shell, is situated in Msheireb which is the first of its kind in promoting sustainable luxuries in Qatar, with its LEED certified buildings, electric-powered tram, pedestrian friendly infrastructure and many more sustainable features. One of the exhibits in the Company House museum includes the anecdotes and experience of the first oil workers of Qatar. This exhibit includes personal belongings, quotations and pictures of the first oil workers in Qatar, which explains the tedious journey of the pioneers of the oil industry in Qatar, which resulted in the development of a modern, luxurious society. One of the anecdotes of a worker talks about how the discovery of oil then meant establishing modern schools and clinics; however, the changes in the society were much more ‘dramatic’. Bergthaller while explaining petro-modernity explains that the discovery of oil did not only fuel cars or airplanes but also fuelled ‘aspirations and visions of a good life’ which can be seen in this particular exhibition of the Company House Museum.
Furthermore, the establishment of this museum in the very first house which was the headquarters of the first oil company in Qatar in the most luxurious part of the country, Msheireb – an entirely sustainable smart city, explains the connection between the heritage and the development the same nation has experienced over the decades beginning with the discovery of oil. This also furthers the idea of sustainable luxuries built on the foundation of Oil. This museum also serves as an important way to understand the role that discovery of oil plays in the modern urban development of Qatar as decades later, the nation today is an emblem of a luxurious lifestyle in the world.
