What can I do with this information?

[Ribrabrob]

I’m fascinated by the Middle East (the culture, the people, the way of life, the weather etc... everything) and also the differences between the ME and the Western world. My interest is so high that I’m starting a project - visiting all the countries in the ME (well, trying to), interviewing locals, visiting businesses etc. I’m in the process of writing up this information - let’s call it a project :)

I’m wondering if there is anything I can do with the information I’m compiling? I absolutely love doing it so if it’s purely just for me to read back on then great, but does anybody have any ideas if there’s anything else I could do with it? I thought maybe blogging but then I wondered if it’s actually something anybody else would be interested in?! To me it’s fascinating, but I’m not sure if it’s something others would care about too.

Why does it need to be for any reason other than your own personal satisfaction and fulfilment?

Blogging is a good idea, you may find other people have the same fascination. As long as you get satisfaction from your project, that's the main thing.

I'd be interested! I'm also fascinated by the ME..

You might as well blog it, because if you are going to be writing it up anyway, it's not much extra work and it might lead to new connections with like minded people. There'll definitely be some people out there interested in it.

Interesting to see what happens when you start 'interviewing' people in certain ME countries. They have a habit of seeing that as spying and popping the interviewer in a cell and accuse them of spying.

My first thoughts too windy

Can you write a book?

I thinks it's a bit weird tbh.

Have you studied the topic at University? Without in-depth knowledge and awareness of issues relating to your 'project' you are just embarking on anew-colonial endeavour where you are fascinated by the 'orient', the Middle East, just as so many people were during Colonialism. With this approach you are very much looking at ME culture as 'the other' and post suggests you are rather romanticising it all, none of which is either educated or cool.

If you are indeed so fascinated, why not look at some courses, for example at the London School for Oriental & African studies www.soas.ac.uk to see if you can educate yourself before visiting other countries to speak to ordinary people.

Also, of course, people would jump to the conclusion that you may be spying. It's just a really ill-informed thing to do.

As I said, look at SOAS, look at recommended reading or even just visit their library and familiarise yourself with issues related to writing about other cultures and the problem of representation and power.

Good luck.

• a neo-colonial

I'd be interested in following! I'm not to genned up on travel blogs or the likes, but would have the basic ability to follow on instagram or facebook?

Good luck with "interviewing locals"....as a frequent visitor I can assure you that won't be easy and you might find yourself on the front page of the DM

OP, why not start by reading Orientalism "The Making of the Other"?

more info here www.jstor.org/stable/42981698?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents

"The Orient is a European invention, a social construct."

Your original fascination by the ME (in itself a rather, ahem, broad geographic, cultural and political region )is not necessary a bad thing but before you travel to ME countries and research 'locals' interesting specimen I strongly recommend that you prepare yourself by reading around the subject.

How would you fund your travels, out of interest?

I’m with @TrickOrTreaty It’s naive and potentially high risk unless you have the support of an organisation working in each country. You’re unlikely to gain access to ‘the real Saudi Arabia’ or even be allowed to visit as a lone woman. Yemen isn’t going to be pleased to see you and potential for being identified as supporting terrorism is you travel, there alone. Likewise Syria. Just a daft idea. Learn Arabic. Do a few courses, Ge a job with the BBC or foreign office. Train in humanitarian medicine.

Don’t be someone who thinks the Middle Eastern countries needs them for any purpose whatsoever. A week in Dubai, Oman or Abu Dhabi is really not the same as a month in Damascus. Having been to many Middle Eastern nations, there is no singular Middle East. Picking olives in Palestine is possible. It would give limited insight into Gaza.

Travelling to every Middle Eastern country might not even be possible on a single passport. I imagine getting into Israel with a passport full of visas stamped in Arabic might delay your journey somewhat. The same as travelling to Iran with an Israeli visa. I’ve done Jerusalem, Eilat and also Egypt, Bahrain and Qatar recently but use different passports.

It does smack of going and looking at the natives rather.

It does smack of going and looking at the natives rather.

Indeed.

I think TrickorTreaty is being a bit OTT ...

I would do something like a photo or video blog ? Or focus on food? I would not read a tourist blog but I would be interested in following a Twitter or Facebook account with photos and interviews with people.

Sounds fun!!! Enjoy.

I would be very, very careful about taking photos in many Middle Eastern nations. The advice is not to photograph people without their express consent - so no candid photographs.
Buildings are quite risky too unless it’s major tourist attractions like the Burj Khalifa - which most people have already seen photos of.

www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/british-teenager-tourist-arrested-spying-egypt-photo-helicopter-muhammad-abulkasem-manchester-a8661416.html

metro.co.uk/2019/09/11/british-blogger-boyfriend-arrested-iran-camping-near-army-base-10721014/

edition.cnn.com/2018/11/21/uk/briton-matthew-hedges-spy-uae-prison-intl/index.html

Blog or travelogue. To be honest, though, random superficial conversations, presumably in English, are unlikely to be of interest to a serious scholar or expert on the region, and as others have said, it's possible that not only you but those you are engaging with could end up in serious bother.

Also - the region isn't a monolith, culturally, socially, meteorologically or indeed in most ways. You may not be the Orientalist others suggest, but you are coming across as naive and quite uninformed.