Today, discussions of the Arab world, especially the Gulf States, are increasingly defined by the use of ethnosectarian terms. Such divisions are often assumed to be directly related to Islamism and oil, but their roots can be traced back much further – to the early twentieth century and Bahrain under British colonial rule.
Drawing on a wealth of local literature unexamined in previous English-language studies, Omar H. AlShehabi analyses how colonialism and modernization contributed to Bahraini society's division along ethnic and sectarian lines. He assesses, too, the impact of emergent political movements of the time, in particular the nationalist al-Nahda renaissance which swept the Arab world in the nineteenth century.
A groundbreaking work, Contested Modernity challenges us to reconsider how we see not only the Gulf but the wider Middle East as it was drawn by Britain and France in the aftermath of World War I.
About the Author
Omar AlShehabi is Director of the Gulf Centre for Development Policies and Associate Professor in Political Economy at the Gulf University for Science and Technology, Kuwait.
Industry Reviews
'This is a crucial corrective to misleading and injurious narratives about the perpetually "sectarian" Gulf and its people. Credit to AlShehabi for historicizing the interrelated problems of sectarianism and colonialism in modern Bahrain, the Gulf region, and the wider Arab world.' -- Ussama Makdisi, Professor of History, Rice University
'With great ambition, rich empirical detail and theoretical nuance, this book successfully sets out to rewrite the history of modern Bahrain... essential reading for anyone who wants to understand Bahraini history, the modern politics of the Gulf and the rise of sectarianism in the Middle East.' -- Toby Dodge, Professor of International Relations, London School of Economics
'AlShehabi offers an insightful and a fresh perspective that challenges dominant narratives on contemporary sectarian politics in Bahrain and the other states of the Arabian Gulf. While situating the Arab Gulf countries within mainstream debates on Arab al-Nahda, the book provides well-argued analyses of the Gulf-specific colonial experiences and the colonial roots of "the modernized absolutist rule" in the region.' -- Abdulhadi Khalaf, Professor of Sociology, Lund University
'Written by one of the most astute scholars of the contemporary Gulf, this book presents an authoritative critique of the "ethnosectarian gaze" so often used in writing and thinking about Bahrain. Grounded in meticulous archival research and a fascinating retelling of Bahraini history, the book provides a wide range of fresh and compelling insights into debates around nationalism, identity, colonialism, and the production of knowledge. An indispensable work that breaks new ground in Middle East scholarship.' -- Adam Hanieh, Reader in Development Studies, SOAS, and author of Money, Markets, and Monarchies: The Gulf Cooperation Council and the Political Economy of the Contemporary Middle East
