10.17192/meta.2019.12.7930 Maneval, Stefan Stefan Maneval Counterpublics in Saudi Shopping Centres, Beach Resorts, and Gated Communities Middle East - Topics + Arguments : Vol 12 (2019) Philipps-Universität Marburg 2019 Public Space Urban Development Counterpublics Gated Communities Privatization Saudi Arabia Center for Near and Middle Eastern Studies (CNMS) 2019-07-03 2019-06-25 en JournalArticle https://journals.uni-marburg.de/0003/2019/230/7930 urn:nbn:de:hebis:04-0003-2019-230-79300 https://journals.uni-marburg.de/0003/2019/230/7930/7930.png 2196-629X application/pdf https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0 In recent decades, Saudi Arabia, much like other places around the world, has witnessed a trend towards the privatization and securitization of urban space. In this paper I argue that although indisputably exclusive, gated communities and other types of privatized public spaces in Saudi Arabia enable practices which, outside the walls of such developments, are strictly banned. In a country known for its strict moral standards and lack of civil liberties, these architectures permit the formation of “counterpublics.” Offering alternative perspectives on gender relationships, modesty, and nudity, such “counterpublics” challenge prevailing notions of what public and private mean. 2196-629X Middle East - Topics + Arguments Vol 12 (2019)