Gulf studies in India: Reimagining the region

Abstract

This work makes a detailed enquiry into the origin, growth and spread of Gulf studies as an academic discipline in India, which in its customary frame is profoundly grounded in the European and the Northern American experiences of dealing with the region. The question, how did/does the study of the Gulf region in India differ in terms of its focus and motivation has been addressed through a detailed survey of institutions, scholars and literature that broadly represent the Gulf studies in the country. The enquiry begins with pioneering institutions and their decolonial motivations and aspirations in establishing a tradition of area studies completely or partly independent of similar institutions in the West. Gulf studies in India now travels along a new direction in the context of a growing synergy between India and the Gulf states as both the regions share considerable symmetry in the perception of regional and global economic and political issues. The contemporary initiatives suggest an alternative way of understanding the region, its economy, geography, politics, people and cultures. The work makes an overview of the Gulf studies in India covering major institutions which promote Gulf studies, individual scholars engaged in the study of the region and seminal interventions by the people from the academic institutions, think tanks and the press.