Modern Arabian Peninsula: Politics, Security and Society

The Arabian Peninsula (AP) is a strategic space located at the very heart of where the African and Eurasian continents converge. Its geographic, spiritual, and economic significance have long attracted the interest of many extra-regional actors, from the Portuguese to the Americans. The course seeks to de-mystify the modern states and societies of the AP, encompassing those of the Gulf monarchies (Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and Oman) and Yemen. Drawing on new theoretical interventions, methodologies, and transnational approaches, as well as a wide range of sources (archival material, travelogues, colonial reports, audiovisuals, and local scholarship), the course aims to equip students with the research skillset needed to effectively analyse and discuss the political, security, and societal dynamics of the AP. The themes discussed in the course will be wide-ranging, and will include topics and issues such as the AP's place within the ever-changing Middle Eastern regional order, post-oil societal transformations, popular mobilizations, the politics of climate change and food security, authoritarian resilience, the risk of state collapse, the empowering/de-stabilizing role of technology, among others. Much of these discussions will be shaped by key questions - how have AP states and societies evolved in the past and present, and what factors and trends will shape their future course of development?