Appendix III: CIRS Research

III. CIRS Research

Annual Report 2020-2021 •

Georgetown University in Qatar

Publications and Research

AUTHORED AND EDITED BOOKS

Babar, Zahra, ed. 2020. Mobility and Forced Displacement in the Middle East. London: Oxford University Press/Hurst.

King, Marcus Dubois, ed. 2020. Water and Conflict in the Middle East. London: Oxford University Press/Hurst.

Meijer, Roel, James N. Sater, and Zahra Babar, eds. 2021. Routledge Handbook of Citizenship in the Middle East and North Africa. New York: Routledge.

Mirgani, Suzi, ed. 2021. Informal Politics in the Middle East. London: Oxford University Press/Hurst.

JOURNAL ARTICLES

Babar, Zahra. 2020. “Migrant Workers Bear the Pandemic’s Brunt in the Gulf.” Current History 119, no. 821: 343–348.

Babar, Zahra. 2020. “The Vagaries of the In-between: Labor Citizenship in the Persian Gulf.” International Journal of Middle East Studies, 52, no. 4: 765-770.

Ewers, Michael, Nabil Khattab, Zahra Babar, and Muznah Madeeha. 2021. “Skilled Migration to Emerging Economies: The Global Competition for Talent beyond the West.” Globalizations, February.

CIRS SPECIAL ISSUES (JOURNALS)

Ghafar, Adel Abdel, ed. 2021. The Political Economy of the Contemporary Middle East. The Muslim World, 111, no. 1.

Roberts, David B., ed. 2020. The GCC Crisis: Qatar and Its Neighbors. Journal of Arabian Studies, 10, no. 2.

BOOK CHAPTERS AND WHITE PAPERS

Babar, Zahra. 2020. “Labor Migration in the Persian Gulf Monarchies.” In The Oxford Handbook of the Sociology of the Middle East, edited by Armando Salvatore, Sari Hanafi, and Keiko Obuse. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Babar, Zahra, Roel Meijer and James Sater. 2021. “Introduction.” In Routledge Handbook of Citizenship in the Middle East and North Africa, Roel Meijer, James Sater, and Zahra R. Babar, eds. London and New York: Routledge: 1-16.

Babar, Zahra. 2021. “Economic Migrants and Citizenship in the GCC.” In Routledge Handbook of Citizenship in the Middle East and North Africa, Roel Meijer, James Sater, and Zahra R. Babar, eds. London and New York: Routledge: 410-421.

Babar, Zahra. 2021. “Pandemic Mobilities in the Persian Gulf: Unpacking the ‘Crises’.” Arnold Bergstraesser Institute Working Paper.

Mirgani, Suzi. 2021. “Overview.” In Informal Politics in the Middle East, edited by Suzi Mirgani, 1-18. London: Oxford University Press/Hurst.

Building a Legacy: Qatar FIFA World Cup 2022 Project Outcomes

WORLD CUP BLOG POSTS

“Avoiding White Elephants: Why the Education City Stadium Is Built to Last,” October 25, 2020. Danyel Reiche, Visiting Associate Professor at GU-Q, examines the legacy of purpose-built football stadiums.

“National Identity in the Qatar Men’s National Football Team,” October 25, 2020. Ross Griffin, Assistant Professor of Postcolonial Literature at Qatar University, discusses notions of belonging regarding foreign players in the Qatar men’s national team.

“The Qatar World Cup: Dreaming of Bridging the Gulf Rift,” October 27, 2020. James M. Dorsey, Senior Fellow, Nanyang Technological University’s S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies; National University of Singapore’s Middle East Institute, highlights how the 2022 World Cup fits within the geopolitics of the region.

“FIFA World Cup 2022: Increased Opportunities for Qatar’s Women Footballers?” November 2, 2020. Charlotte Lysa, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Norwegian Centre for Human Rights, University of Oslo, examines how Qatar’s World Cup football tournament is paving the way for increased inclusion of women in the sport. “The Qatar World Cup 2022 Stadiums Are Built, but Will Pandemic-Era Fans Still Come?” November 16, 2020. Simon Chadwick, Director of Eurasian Sport, Professor of the Eurasian Sport Industry and Director of the Centre for the Eurasian Sport Industry, Emlyon Business School, discusses how the pandemic has affected football fandom.

“How Powerful Has Qatar Become in Elite Sport?” December 1, 2020. Nadim Nassif, Associate Professor in Physical Education and Sports, Notre Dame University–Louaize, explains why Qatar’s investments in mega-sport events are not reflected in the performance of its national teams in international competitions.

“Why Media Liberalization in Qatar Would Serve an Important 2022 Legacy,” December 16, 2020. Craig L. LaMay, Professor at Northwestern University in Qatar and Dean and Director of the journalism program, argues that media liberalization is not an end in itself but is key to ensuring other social legacies of the tournament to which Qatar and FIFA have committed.

“The Ongoing Struggle for a Qatar 2022 Narrative,” January 11, 2021. Paulino R. Robles-Gil Cozzi, Gulf Studies Center, Qatar University, examines how international focus on Qatar’s World Cup has intensified and various explanatory discourses have multiplied in popular media, academic research, and political rhetoric.

Annual Report 2020-2021 •

Georgetown University in Qatar “The Impact of the Lifting of the Blockade on the Qatar World Cup,” January 24, 2021. Kristian Coates Ulrichsen, Fellow for the Middle East, Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, discusses how lifting the blockade will help make the Qatar World Cup a tournament for the entire region, as was pledged by the bid team in 2010.

“Not the 2022 World Cup, Joe Biden Paved the Way for Ending the Qatar Blockade,” January 31, 2021. Hilal Khashan, Professor of Political Science at the American University of Beirut, argues that ending the blockade and regional engagement in the World Cup is unlikely to resolve the GCC countries’ recurring problems unless there is more effort to maintain sustained and mature regional relationships.

“Qatar’s 2022 World Cup Has Put the Spotlight on Migrant Workers, but What Legacy Will It Deliver?” February 21, 2021. James Lynch, Director of FairSquare, argues that there can be no room for complacency regarding labor issues, given the scale and depth of the problems Qatar’s government has committed to addressing.

“Can Qatar Show FIFA the Way? Towards More Flexible Eligibility Rules in International Football,” March 15, 2021. Gijsbert Oonk, Founding Director, the Sport and Nation Network, argues that at the 2022 World Cup, Qatar may take the lead in a debate about the legitimacy of foreign-born players representing the country. “Why the FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar Should Not Be Boycotted,” March 18, 2021. Danyel Reiche, Visiting Associate Professor at GU-Q, offers insight into how Qatar is leading the region in human rights reform.

“Citizenship vs. Identity: What a Passport or Football Jersey Can and Cannot Show,” March 29, 2021. GU-Q Assistant Professor of History Eddie Kolla talks about the unequal treatment of foreigners based on their passport and country of origin.

“Qatar’s Labor Rights Legacy: Between a Rock and a Hard Place,” April 11, 2021. Andreas Krieg, Assistant Professor of Security Studies at King’s College London, discusses how the Qatar government must balance international calls for labor rights reforms with local business owners who need time to implement them.

“Qatar’s Empowered Sportswoman Narrative May Obscure Inequalities,” April 25, 2021. Geoff Harkness, Assistant Professor of Sociology at Rhode Island College, talks about how funding and branding around elite female athletes is not the reality of support for Qatari women’s everyday fitness.

“How the World Cup Impacts Sustainability in Qatar: Which Challenges Remain after the Tournament?” May 11, 2021. Katrin Scholz-Barth, Principal of Katrin Scholz-Barth Consulting and President of SustainableQATAR, talks about her role as part of the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar program from 2012–2015 in helping to define and create the program-wide sustainability and innovation strategies, and her insights about sustainability after the tournament is over.

“Qatar Airways’ Football Sponsorships as a Foreign Policy Strategy,” May 26, 2021. Alumna Natasha Vincent (SFS’21), incoming Investment Banking Analyst at J.P. Morgan in London, draws from her International Politics honors thesis research on foreign policy branding in the Persian Gulf to discuss Qatar Airways’ investment in football.

“Leveraging the Opportunities from Qatar’s 2022 FIFA World Cup: Lessons from the 2010 South Africa FIFA World Cup,” June 7, 2021. Kamilla Swart, Associate Professor in the College of Science and Engineering at Hamad Bin Khalifa University, breaks down the strategy needed and pitfalls to avoid when planning for the Qatar FIFA World Cup legacy.

“The Dichotomy of Qatari Women’s Education and Qatar’s World Cup 2022 Branding,” June 20, 2021. Alumna Mashael Muftah (SFS’21) draws on research from her Culture and Politics Honors thesis on contradictions in Qatari female education to talk about how the next World Cup is being branded.

WORLD CUP PODCASTS

“Introduction to the Research Project,” October 2020. In this introductory episode, Visiting Associate Professor at GU-Q Danyel Reiche speaks with Dean Ahmad Dallal about the overall aims and objectives of the project.

“Women’s Football,” October 2020. Monika Staab, former German football player and coach of the national teams of Bahrain, Pakistan, and Qatar, discusses the status of women’s football in Qatar, the Middle East, and around the world. “Domestic Football Development in Qatar,” November 8, 2020. Ahmed Khellil Abbassi, Executive Director of Competitions and Football Development, Qatar Stars League, discusses the history of football in Qatar, and the ongoing developments leading up to the World Cup tournament in 2022.

“Media and the World Cup,” November 23, 2020. David Harding, International Editor for The Independent, speaks about local and international media coverage of issues related to the World Cup 2022.

“World Cup Legacy Program: Generation Amazing,” December 8, 2020. Nasser Al Khori, head of local and international programs, Generation Amazing, discusses the organization’s program and its commitments to the legacy of the World Cup.

“Football Fandom in Qatar,” January 3, 2021. Ahmed Hashim, a Doha-based football writer, highlights how fans and spectators in Qatar engage with the game.

“Migrant Labor and the Qatar 2022 World Cup,” January 20, 2021. Producer Anne Sobel and director Adam Sobel talk about their documentary film, The Workers Cup, as well as their own experiences living and working in Qatar.

“Experiences of Qatari Women Football Players,” February 7, 2021. With a focus on the experiences of Qatari women footballers who love playing the game and are working to establish it in the country, this talk included current students and graduates of GU-Q, Haya Abdulrahman, Haya AlKaabi, Maryam Al-Saiqal, and Dana Darwish.

“Labor Market Reforms and the World Cup 2022,” March 7, 2021. Houtan Homayounpour, Head of the International Labor Organization (ILO) Project Office for the State of Qatar, discusses the recent labor market reforms in Qatar and the role the ILO played in the process.

“Women Coaches and Referees in Qatar,” April 2021. Amal Mohammad, a Federation of International Basketball licensed referee, and Hajar Saleh, a Qatari football coach discuss the opportunities and challenges of female sports leadership in Qatar.

“The World Cup in the Local Media,” April 2021. Faras Ghani, Digital Editor of Al Jazeera English, talks about Al Jazeera’s coverage of the World Cup. “Football Talent Development in Qatar,” May 2021. Valter Di Salvo, Director of Football Performance and Science at Aspire Academy, talks about Qatar’s investment in developing its talent pool.

“The World Cup and Women’s Rights in Qatar,” June 2021. Amal Al Malki, Founding Dean of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences at HBKU talks about progress and remaining challenges for Women’s Rights in Qatar, and Education City’s contribution to the development of Qatar.

Annual Report 2020-2021 •

Georgetown University in Qatar

Environmental Studies Outcomes

EVERYDAY ENERGY PODCASTS

“Ways of Seeing: Tracing Lived Energy in Archive, Film, and Fiction,” June 2021. GU-Q professors Trish Kahle, Vicky Googasian, and Firat Oruc revisit primary sources they use in their own scholarly work through the lens of the lived experience of energy and showcase how different disciplines interact with sources.

“How Everyday People Electrified Mexico City,” June 2021. Trish Kahle speaks with Washington University Assistant Professor Diana Montaño about how a varied group of Mexicans made sense of a new technology, as well as sources and methods for conducting historical research about everyday life. “Electricity and Everyday Life in Doha,” June 2021. Firat Oruc speaks with Northwestern University in Qatar Assistant Professor Anto Mohsin on electrical energy in everyday urban life in Doha and its intersections with the city’s history, cultural memory, development, and future.

“Reading for Oil,” June 2021. Vicky Googasian speaks with Elizabeth Barrios, Assistant Professor of Spanish and Latin American & Latino/a Studies at Albion College about Venezuelan oil literature, what fiction has to say about everyday energetic life, and oil industry propaganda.

COVID-19 Project Outcomes

ONLINE BRIEFS

“How the U.S. Failed to Contain COVID-19,” July 9, 2020. Mark J. Rozell, Dean of the Schar School of Policy and Government at George Mason University, and Clyde Wilcox, Professor of Government at GU-Q, outline the failures of the U.S. to stem the virus as the nation faced a wave of increasing infections.

“COVID-19 and the Erosion of Europe’s Asylum System,” July 26, 2020. Amanda Garrett, Assistant Professor of Political Science at GU-Q, examines the haphazard policies regarding refugees, including uncoordinated lockdowns and border closures, during the pandemic period.

“Asymmetric Impact of COVID-19 on Employment in the GCC,” August 11, 2020. Bilal Tahir (SFS’22) CURA Student Research Fellow and Misba Bhatti, Research Analyst at CIRS, highlight how the economies of the GCC have been particularly affected by the pandemic due to the decreased global demand for oil and gas.

“What Can the Theory and Philosophy of Climate Change Teach Us about COVID-19?” August 24, 2020. Victoria Googasian, Assistant Professor of American Literature at GU-Q, argues that now is the time to ask what aspects of our climate predicament have been underlined by the events of 2020, and to jettison belief in human exceptionalism and technological prowess.

EXPERT INSIGHTS

“Are Single Male Labour Migrants Being Neglected?” October 11, 2020. This panel, organized by the University College London (UCL)’s Center for Gender and Global Health, was part of the Borderings: Migration, Gender and Health webinar series. The panelists included Kolitha Wickramage, Global Migration Health Research and Epidemiology Coordinator, IOM Health Division; Zahra Babar, Associate Director for Research, CIRS; and Wafa Aftab, Department of Community Health Sciences, Aga Khan University. The panel was moderated by Kristine Onarheim, Research Fellow at the UCL Center for Gender and Global Health.

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