On the evening of Thursday 30 January 2025, the Gulf and Arabian Peninsula Studies Unit at the Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies hosted the first in its monthly lecture series of 2025. The Unit welcomed its own Researcher, who is also Assistant Professor on the History Program at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies, Abdulrahman Alebrahim, to present his current research project. Under the title “Marginalized Gulf History: The Case of Al-Zubayr Sheikhdom”, the lecture was introduced by the Head of the Unit, Haider Saeed.

Alebrahim began by noting the conspicuous lack of scholarship on many aspects of Gulf history, perhaps the most prominent of which is the history of the sheikhdoms that preceded the emergence of the modern states. Some of these sheikhdoms were transformed into states, while other sheikhdoms were marginalized and ceased to exist as political entities. He stressed the importance of rereading the history of these sheikhdoms given how they have been marginalized by the official narratives of states. Alebrahim then defined “marginalized history” as any historical subject that has been deliberately relegated or left out of the historical record, regardless of how or to what extent. He argued that this history is crucial to Gulf scholarship, as it redefines national identity and confronts official narratives that focus on ruling dynasties and economic developments while neglecting less influential groups far from the centre of power, such as Arabistan, Al-Zubayr, and Ha'il. For example, the history of the Al Rashid Emirate of Ha'il has been pushed to the side in favour of a narrative that focuses on the rise of the Third Saudi State.

Alebrahim noted the geographical significance of Al-Zubayr as a centre for commercial caravans, and a natural passage for pilgrims from Iran, Iraq and Turkey. He added that the sheikhdom played a major political, economic, and cultural role in southern present-day Iraq, and extended to neighbouring regions (Kuwait, Najd, and eastern Arabia). Alebrahim argued that the existence of Al-Zubayr under the umbrella of Ottoman rule, and the presence of stronger regional powers, led to a decline in interest in it, and that the migration of the people of Al-Zubayr under the sheikhdom to Najd or Kuwait after the establishment of the modern Iraqi state, and after the establishment of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, exacerbated this decline. Furthermore, the people who lived in Al-Zubayr under the sheikhdom moved away to Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.

Alebrahim argued that political or social factors marginalized Al-Zubayr Sheikhdom and its influence in Kuwait. Tensions defined political relations between Iraq and neighbouring countries, especially Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, beginning with the establishment of the monarchy in Iraq and its attempt to interfere in Kuwait’s affairs in 1938, then the threats of Abdul-Karim Qasim in 1961 after Kuwait’s independence, and finally the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in 1990. This contributed to the exclusion of Kuwaitis of Iraqi origin from the historical identity of the state to the point that some Gulf societies still deal cautiously with organizations and social groups that extend across national borders, especially Iraq and Iran. This has led to a reluctance among Gulf historians and research institutions to address Al-Zubayr Sheikhdom analytically and academically. Socially, many Zubayri families refused to connect with their Zubayri roots, so as not to be affiliated with modern Iraq. The Zubayris in Kuwait, after migrating, sought to emphasize their Najdi roots, which bestowed them a privilege over others who lived in Kuwait.

Alebrahim attributed the marginalization of this history to the national curriculum and national history, which influence the formation of national identity. In his opinion, national curricula that construct a national identity based on the borders of the political state lead to a narrow conception of national identity, as historical processes are treated as having occurred within the geographical borders of the contemporary state. Therefore, groups and regions that lie outside the borders are excluded from the national narrative, even if they have deep historical and cultural ties. Al-Zubayr was thus excluded from Kuwaiti historical writing, as it is located in what is now Iraq. He argued that national history aims to form a more ideological and selective national identity that celebrates the “achievements” of the nation and highlights national figures and major events to foster a sense of pride and belonging, at the expense of marginalizing groups and regions that do not fit into this narrative. The lecturer gave the example of the Najdis in Al-Zubayr since they have no voice in Kuwaiti writings. In contrast, he praised the role played by historians in the Indian Ocean Studies movement today in trying to overcome this problem by adopting cross-border approaches to promote a more comprehensive understanding instead of promoting the narratives of nation states.

Alebrahim also touched on some of the problems facing Gulf historians, including the restricted archives controlled by the state, which prevent researchers from accessing documents, in addition to the political mood embodied in the laws of national unity that restrict and may put researchers at risk if they try to research some marginalized topics. In addition to all of this, academic production in Gulf universities is generally weak. The lecture generated enthusiastic interaction from the audience, many of whom posed questions related to the topics, such as historical writing and its connection to national borders, understanding citizenship, the role of ideology, the view of the people of Al-Zubayr towards Basra, Najd and Kuwait, the relationship of Al-Zubayr with the Ottoman authorities, the existence of objective writings about Al-Zubayr, the failure to reveal British and Ottoman archives, the centrality of Najd, the difference between the margin and the marginalized, and so on.