Overview: The countries of Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Oman are interesting not only for their rich shared history, but because they provide opportunities to study key global challenges of the 21st century. States in the Gulf both profit from and struggle to address the globalization of labor and financial markets, the looming impact of environmental crises, and the rise of post-national identities. This class will review the modern history of the region with a focus on the tension between tribal, global and nation-state political formations, the impact of rapid economic transformation on culture and society, and the transformations spurred by new technologies of communication, the rise of non-state actors, and the impact of regional competitions and conflicts.
Readings from political science, economics, anthropology, history, and sociology will allow students to compare different research methodologies and disciplinary perspectives as they explore this dynamic area.
The class has no prerequisites, although students should have a basic background in the History of the Middle East or the Twentieth Century World or be willing to invest additional time on the suggested background reading. The class is open to students of all majors and will build skills for questioning and evaluating research in many fields.
- Teacher: Janice Jayes