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Dr Abdulrahman Alebrahim "Kuwait's Politics before Independence: The Role of the Balancing Powers"

Part of the IAIS Meet the Author Series

Abdulrahman Alebrahim is an independent researcher who received a PhD from the Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies at the University of Exeter in 2017. Alebrahim’s primary interests include Gulf Studies, predominately culture and identity. His research has focused on the history of the Gulf, particularly Kuwait and Southern Iraq, and he has published chapters and peer-reviewed journal articles on these topics. In 2016, Alebrahim was awarded the State of Kuwait Prize for Historical and Archaeological Studies commending one of his academic publications.


Event details

Abstract

This book re-examines the historiography of constitutional development in Kuwait. It argues that existing scholarship on the subject has several shortcomings due to the fact that most historians working on Kuwait’s modern politics have focussed on two forces: the ruling family and the merchants. Although these two actors have undeniably been the most influential, other segments of society, such as the labour force, the villagers, the intelligentsia and the religious scholars, should not be overlooked. These forces have had a decisive impact, with varying levels of influence across time, on the balance of power in Kuwait. This book generates new insights by considering the role of these balancing forces in influencing the struggle between the sheikhs and the merchants over the nature of the political system in Kuwait between 1921 and 1962.

Dr Abdulrahmen Alebrahim

Location:

Old Library 129