The Politics of Gulf Studies
So those of you on the blogosphere have heard and shared several stories about the difficulties and special considerations surrounding doing research and teaching in the Gulf. I feel like as a researcher I self-censor way more than I would while in the states and that I am constantly looking over my shoulder. These paranoias are actually more self-induced than real, I think. Firings and deportations of academics are very few and far between. But still, I conduct research differently there than I would in the states, and use different word choices, etc. But I never really thought that this feeling extended out from the Gulf into academics in general that focus on Gulf issues. I know, sounds naive, but I do still for the most part live inside a bubble of academic freedom.
Last week I participated in a Gulf Studies conference at Exeter University in England. And I found a lot of interesting politics, mainly revolving two themes, 1. the issue of academic freedom vs. ruling family interests, and 2. gender issues. A few thoughts on each:
1. First, the Sheikh of Sharjah is the single largest benefactor in the history of Exeter University, and has pretty much funded the Islamic and Arabic Institute which hosted the conference. HH flew in from Sharjah just to open the conference and a new wing in the institute building, stayed for one panel, and then flew back. What I found so interesting is the whole pomp and ceremony around his presence. First, we were told by the conference organizer not to use the "loo" upstairs because it would look bad to be emerging from the bathroom when the sheikh arrived. Then we all gathered to watch the ceremony in which he cut the ribbon for the new wing and number of speeches about his generosity and intelligence were given. And then we resumed the conference, during which the shiekh proceeded to speak loudly with a professor throughout the next panel. He also found a paper presented by a grad student on UAE's economy problematic, because the title said UAE but was focused on Dubai. This is fine, but the manner in which he commented on this was not. He never addressed the woman directly, instead speaking to the room and saying things like, "she must have been misled". And he continued for a good two minutes or so. The poor grad student. She handled it famously, but still. Can you imagine giving a paper on housemaids, labor issues, or censorship in the Gulf in a forum such as this? I would be mortified. In fact, I had a few things in my paper which I was giving the next day that I changed because I was then worried about whether I could say certain things, regardless of the fact that the sheikh flew back to Sharjah after sitting in on just that one panel. Still, there was a feeling of self-censorship in the room, and I wonder how to get around this, especially when ruling family money is so often tied up with Gulf Studies programs and initiatives in the West.
2. And the gender issue was SO irritating, especially when you consider the very interesting old boys' club that is produced when you put a bunch of older Arab male scholars together with a bunch of older white English ones. This group of "uncles" as I have chosen to call them displayed some incredibly professional behavior, including hitting on female grad students, addressing women on panels as "lovely ladies," speaking throughout panels on women or by women (if they attended at all), and touting the physical virtues of Filipinas to the whole room in a Q&A session. Not only is the professionalism that should come along with an academic conference missing here, but so is the treatment of women scholars as equals. And, the academic focus on gender issues in the Gulf was also very little. I am extremely interested in organizing a conference on feminist gulf studies, with scholars from the Gulf and other parts of the world, and hopefully people who focus on policy and women's rights issues as well. That would be very interesting.
OK, I think I have said all there is to say at this point. Oh, there is one more thing, and I am going to keep chewing on it: academics of the Gulf are usually experts in either citizen issues or expatriate ones, and they usually find they know little about the group they do not focus on (I am guilty of this myself). So aren't we also reproducing the citizen/expat divide through our knowledge production? Something to think about.
And, lest it sound like the conference sucked, it very much did not. There were some stellar papers and I learned a lot about the Gulf as a whole. I get so mired in the UAE, and Dubai in particular, that I tend to forget that things are very different in each Gulf country. The exchange of ideas and information both in the formal setting of the panels and the informal setting of meals was immense. And I did find a few like minds to discuss the above frustrations and concerns with.
Last week I participated in a Gulf Studies conference at Exeter University in England. And I found a lot of interesting politics, mainly revolving two themes, 1. the issue of academic freedom vs. ruling family interests, and 2. gender issues. A few thoughts on each:
1. First, the Sheikh of Sharjah is the single largest benefactor in the history of Exeter University, and has pretty much funded the Islamic and Arabic Institute which hosted the conference. HH flew in from Sharjah just to open the conference and a new wing in the institute building, stayed for one panel, and then flew back. What I found so interesting is the whole pomp and ceremony around his presence. First, we were told by the conference organizer not to use the "loo" upstairs because it would look bad to be emerging from the bathroom when the sheikh arrived. Then we all gathered to watch the ceremony in which he cut the ribbon for the new wing and number of speeches about his generosity and intelligence were given. And then we resumed the conference, during which the shiekh proceeded to speak loudly with a professor throughout the next panel. He also found a paper presented by a grad student on UAE's economy problematic, because the title said UAE but was focused on Dubai. This is fine, but the manner in which he commented on this was not. He never addressed the woman directly, instead speaking to the room and saying things like, "she must have been misled". And he continued for a good two minutes or so. The poor grad student. She handled it famously, but still. Can you imagine giving a paper on housemaids, labor issues, or censorship in the Gulf in a forum such as this? I would be mortified. In fact, I had a few things in my paper which I was giving the next day that I changed because I was then worried about whether I could say certain things, regardless of the fact that the sheikh flew back to Sharjah after sitting in on just that one panel. Still, there was a feeling of self-censorship in the room, and I wonder how to get around this, especially when ruling family money is so often tied up with Gulf Studies programs and initiatives in the West.
2. And the gender issue was SO irritating, especially when you consider the very interesting old boys' club that is produced when you put a bunch of older Arab male scholars together with a bunch of older white English ones. This group of "uncles" as I have chosen to call them displayed some incredibly professional behavior, including hitting on female grad students, addressing women on panels as "lovely ladies," speaking throughout panels on women or by women (if they attended at all), and touting the physical virtues of Filipinas to the whole room in a Q&A session. Not only is the professionalism that should come along with an academic conference missing here, but so is the treatment of women scholars as equals. And, the academic focus on gender issues in the Gulf was also very little. I am extremely interested in organizing a conference on feminist gulf studies, with scholars from the Gulf and other parts of the world, and hopefully people who focus on policy and women's rights issues as well. That would be very interesting.
OK, I think I have said all there is to say at this point. Oh, there is one more thing, and I am going to keep chewing on it: academics of the Gulf are usually experts in either citizen issues or expatriate ones, and they usually find they know little about the group they do not focus on (I am guilty of this myself). So aren't we also reproducing the citizen/expat divide through our knowledge production? Something to think about.
And, lest it sound like the conference sucked, it very much did not. There were some stellar papers and I learned a lot about the Gulf as a whole. I get so mired in the UAE, and Dubai in particular, that I tend to forget that things are very different in each Gulf country. The exchange of ideas and information both in the formal setting of the panels and the informal setting of meals was immense. And I did find a few like minds to discuss the above frustrations and concerns with.