The 10th Annual Gulf Studies Forum, was held by The Gulf and Arabian Peninsula Studies Unit at the Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies in Doha from 2-4 December 2023. This round was organized into two tracks: “Relations between the Gulf States and China: Continuity or Transformation?” and “Cultural Policies of the Arab Gulf States”. Researchers from the Gulf, other Arab states, and beyond presented a total of 38 research papers across 13 sessions, in addition to an opening lecture and a dialogue session with Qatari Minister of Culture Sheikh Abdulrahman bin Hamad Al Thani. The forum coincided with Ostour’s symposium titled “Historical Writing in the Gulf Countries”, which featured ten papers.
The forum began with opening remarks from Alanoud Abdulla Al-Khalifa, researcher at the ACRPS Gulf and Arabian Peninsula Studies Unit. Proceedings came underway with an opening lecture with two papers being presented: “Gulf-Chinese Relations and Their Prospects for Development” by Abdulaziz Hamad Aluwaisheg, and “Global China in the Third Term of Xi” by Kerry Brown.
The forum’s first session was split into two tracks. The first track was chaired by Suhaim Al Thani and featured three papers: “Cornerstones of Gulf-China Relations” by Abdul Aziz bin Othman bin Saqr; “Gulf States’ Relations with China and the United States” by Abdullah Alshayji; and “The Expanding Relations between Gulf States and China” by Abdullah Baabood. The second track, chaired by Abdullah Aljasmi, featured “Arab Gulf States’ Cultural Policies” by Mohammad Al-Rumaihi; “The Development of Cultural Policies in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia” by Ulrike Freitag; and “Management of the Legislative and Policy-Making Structure in Qatar” by Lehbib Bellia, Mohamed Reda Soltani, and Brahim Boulfelfel.
In the second session, Ghanim Al Najjar chaired the first track with “Gulf-China Relations in Light of US-China Competition” by Asaad Saleh Al-Shamlan; “China-Gulf Security Relations” by Rory Miller; and “Relations between the Gulf States and China” by Jonathan Fulton. The second track, chaired by Aisha Al-Ammari, featured three papers: “Cultural Shifts in Saudi Arabia” by Zaid Ali Al Fadeil; “Vision 2030” by Abdullah Abu Loz; and “Arab Gulf States’ Cultural Policies in the Face of Globalization” by Jasem Hassan Al Ghaith.
The first track of the third session was chaired by Faisal Abu Sulaib. Two papers were presented: “Qatar-China Relations, 1988-2023” by Muhammad Al-Musfir and “The Future of Iraqi-Chinese Economic Relations” by Hade Mashaan Rabe. The second track, chaired by Baqer Al Najjar, featured two papers: “Similarities and Differences between Urban and Tribal Cultures” by Yagoub Al-Kandari and “The Cultural Formation of the Gulf Citizen” by Mohamed bin Salim Al-Mashani.
Qatari Minister of Culture Sheikh Abdulrahman bin Hamad Al Thani concluded the day’s events with a dialogue session titled “Culture and its Role in Society”, chaired by Abdulrahman Albaker. The Minister began the session by mourning the victims in Gaza, adding that the Gazan people’s resilience is proof that culture can indeed aid preparation for crises, then noted Qatari society’s relationship to culture as a deep-rooted national concern.
International Competition and Gulf-China Relations and Gulf Museums
The first International Relations track of the day 2, the GSF’s fourth panel so far, explored International Competition and its Ramifications for the Development of Gulf-China Relations, chaired by Nouf Al Jassar Kadhim. Hashim Niama, Professor of Strategy and Political Science at Baghdad University, presented his paper “Continuity and Change in China's Policy on the Arab Gulf States: The Role of the US”, first. He was followed by Kazuto Matsuda, PhD student at Sophia University in Japan, who presented “China, and the GCC States: Discussing the Triparty Political Dynamics in the Gulf”, and Aftab Alam, Researcher with the Department of Political Science at Abdul Wali Khan University, Pakistan, who presented “China-GCC Ties: Evolving Challenges and Dynamics for Pakistan”.
In the domestic affairs track, the first session centered on “Museums in the Gulf countries and Identity Building”, moderated by Aisha Al Darmaki. Sundus Al-Rashid, Head of the International Committee of Museums - ICOM, Kuwait branch, and a member of the Board of Directors of ICOM Arab, began by presenting “Museums in the Arab Gulf States: Cultural Symbols, or Political Forces?”. ACRPS Researcher, Alanoud Abdulla Al-Khalifa, spoke next on “Heritage and Global Expansion: Qatar National Museum’s Discourse on Promoting Contemporary Qatari Identity”, followed by Hae Won Jeong, Assistant Professor of Strategic Studies at the National Defense College in the United Arab Emirates, with her paper, “Cultural Production and Nation Branding in the Digital Age: Science, Technology, and Innovation in the United Arab Emirates”.
The next International Relations session, chaired by Hatim al-Shanfari, was dedicated to “Security and Energy in China-Gulf Relations”. Degang Sun, Political Science Professor at Fudan University in Shanghai & Si Liu, Assistant Professor at Georgetown University in Qatar, presented “China's Policy towards Gulf Security: Hedging Strategy”. They were followed by Dhafer Al-Ajmi, Executive Director of the Gulf Monitoring Group and Adjunct Professor at Kuwait University, who discussed his paper “China-Gulf Security Relations: Incentives and Challenges”, and Mostafa Al Bazergan, Head of the Centre for Energy & Environment Information and Research in London, rounded off the session with “The Importance of the Gulf States' Position in China's Global Ambitions”.
Meanwhile, the next session in the domestic track was “Gulf Cultural Strategies and Cultural Institutions” chaired by Maryam Al-Kuwari. Said Al Tarshi, Director of the Research, Translation, and Publishing Department at the Omani Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Youth, presented “Gulf and Omani Cultural Strategies: A Comparative Critical Analysis”, followed by Kuwaiti writer and researcher, Khaled AlKhaldi, with his paper, “Cultural Institutions in Kuwait: From Rise to Fall”. Abdulrahman Al-Marri, Research Assistant at the Ibn Khaldon Center at Qatar University finished off the session with “The Cultural Horizon Fused: On the Inadequacy of the Shared Space Between the Individual and the Cultural Institution in Qatar”.
The sixth session in the International Relations track, chaired by Majed al-Turki, focused on China’s Belt and Road Initiative. Gangzheng She, Associate Professor in the Department of International Relations and Director of the Center for External Security at Tsinghua University in Beijing, presented “Sino-GCC Relations under the Developing Multidimensional BRI”. Emad Kaddorah, Researcher and Head of the ACRPS Editing Department, presented his paper, “The Position of the Gulf States in the Belt and Road Initiative”, followed by Omani Economist Yousuf bin Hamad Al-Balushi, “Gulf-China Relations from a Strategic Perspective”.
The sixth domestic track, chaired by Ibtihal Al-Khatib, focused further on National Identity Building. Mohamed Alyahyai, Omani journalist and novelist presented “State Management of Identity in its Cultural Dimension: The Case of Oman”, followed by Omani Researcher and Educator, Saif bin Adi Al-Maskari and Assistant Professor at the University of Nizwa in Oman, Nasser bin Saif Al-Saadi with “Cultural Identity Narratives in Humanities Curricula Adopted for Grades 5-12 in the Sultanate of Oman”. Finally, Sociology and Anthropology Researchers, Mothanna Al-Masri, & Omar Abdin then presented “Policies of Identity Building and the Re-Production of Heritage: The Cultural Status of Diving in Qatar”.
A final session for the day was titled “Gulf Culture in a Critical Framework,” and chaired by Haider Saeed. Said al-Hashimi presented his paper “Omani Culture after the 2011 Arab Revolutions”.
The Symposium continues the work of a series of historical writing symposiums in the Arab world, discussing trends and trajectories in Gulf history. The event sought to examine the progress and experiences of a group of Gulf historians, in addition to presenting new critical attempts in writing Gulf history. The Symposium was opened with a session in which Chair of Ostour’s editorial board, Abderrahim Benhadda, and Head of the Gulf and Arabian Peninsula Studies Unit, Haider Saeed, welcomed participating researchers and attendees.
Hayat Amamu chaired the first session during which Kuwaiti Researcher Abdulrahman Alebrahim presented “Between Marginalization and Narratives in the History of the Arabian Gulf: Kuwait as a Model”. Assistant Professor at Nizwa University, Nasser bin Saif Al-Saadi followed with his paper “Trends in Historical Writing in Oman: From the Traditional Approach to the Academic”. Dean of Social Sciences and Humanities at the Doha Institute, Amal Ghazal, and Law Faculty member at Qatar University, Abdulrahman Albaker presented the next paper, “How the Left in the Gulf Chronicled its Uprisings: The Case of the 1965 Uprising in Bahrain”, followed by Historian Ulrike Freitag who spoke on “Saudi Historiography: Observations from Writing the History of a City”.
Session Two, on Narrators and Historians, was chaired by ACRPS Researcher, Alanoud Abdulla Al-Khalifa. The first speaker, PhD Researcher, Saleh Abdullah Al Khulaifi presented “Uthman Ibn Sanad: Historian of the Birth of the Arab Emirate on the Gulf Coast”. Gulf History Researcher, Khalid bin Ghanim Al-Maadheed, then spoke on “Collective Memory and its Role in Creating Historical Writing in the Arabian Peninsula: Ibn Bishr as a Model”, with the session concluded by Qatar University Research Assistant, Abdulrahman Al-Marri, with his paper “The Ghutra Pinning Down the Agal: The Limits of Historical Writing about Qatar”.
The third session chaired by ACRPS Researcher Ayat Hamdan featured a presentation by Iraqi historian Hala Fattah of her paper “A Different Paradigm for Arab Gulf Studies” and by Associate Professor at the University of Virginia, Fahad Bishara, of “Writing in the Bazar: The Micro, the Macro, and the Ocean in Gulf History”.
Gulf Studies Forum
