| Summary: | <p>This dissertation presents an economic history of Gulf regionalism, drawing on qualitative written materials from Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and London to illuminate historical patterns of market integration in the region and shed light on the historical transformations of the Gulf’s regionalism process. It also explores how Gulf regionalism was shaped during the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries, as well as the underlying events and circumstances and the nature of Gulf regionalism.</p>
<p>Here, the Gulf’s regional history is approached through the concept of regional space, which emphasises human dimensions and mechanisms in the analysis of regional connectivity, in addition to geographical dimensions. Using the concept of regional space, this dissertation deeply examines how members of the Gulf mercantile community actively shaped the contours of the commercial space that they occupied. </p>
<p>The findings of this study suggest a strong link between the tendencies to regional integration in the Gulf and the nature of the dominant mercantile activities in the region and the attendant means of wealth accumulation. These findings suggest that the emergence of a more centrist concept of economic activity during the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries influenced integration tendencies in the region promoting a weak regional order. In this transformation, Gulf regionalism process moved from being a window for local markets to Indian Ocean networks, to being an inter-governmental institution promoting visions of economic development in regimes. </p>
<p>In tracing the transformation of Gulf regionalism, four turning points have been identified that largely define the Gulf’s regionalism process: 1) World War I and the subsequent creation of borders in the interwar years; 2) the decline of the pearl economy during World War II and the divergence of Gulf port towns; 3) the first oil boom in the 1950s and the change in patterns wealth accumulation; and 4) the British withdrawal from the region in the 1970s and the formation of the Gulf Cooperation Council. </p>
<p>At the same time, this study also considers the global dimensions of the four turning points as manifested in the historical shifts in the British presence in the region. From the early protectorate agreements to the establishment of the first desert post and the birth of the nation-states, British officials also played a significant role in shaping the contours of the Gulf’s regional space. This study finds that British officials significantly reorganised economic life in the region as they sought to serve Britain’s prestige and commercial interests.</p>
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