ABSTRACT
This chapter introduces the lives of migrants in the city and the various challenges they face. In 2012 an incident concerning a migrant from South Asia in Dubai’s Al Aweer vegetable market – relocated from its central location in 2003 – was reported in the local media. For one it was curious that he preferred to stay in the market. Understandable though if one considers where he resided, Hor al Anz, a neighbourhood that was quite far away and a journey by bus would probably have taken a couple of hours. The neighbourhood is representative of the kind of changes that have taken place in Dubai. The district of Hor Al Anz is located on the fringes of Dubai, its eastern side bordering Sharjah, and in close proximity to the city’s main airport. The policy resulted in a population imbalance making Dubai one of the most ‘masculine’ cities on the planet.
