Institute for Middle East Studies at The George Washington University

The latest announcements from the Center for the Institute for Middle East Studies at The George Washington University

Comrades Estranged:
Labor and Citizenship in the Twentieth-Century Persian Gulf

10/15/2026 | 2:00 - 3:30pm
The Institute for Middle East Studies is proud to host Professor Alex Boodrookas, author of Comrades Estranged: Labor and Citizenship in the Twentieth-Century Persian Gulf. In 1975, Kuwaiti workers orchestrated arguably the most powerful citizen-led movement for noncitizen rights in the history of the Persian Gulf. Their efforts built on decades of wide-ranging struggle over the meanings and outlines of citizenship. During the twentieth century, anti-colonial nationalists, pro-democracy reformers, feminists, and labor organizers joined forces to fight for a more equitable citizenship regime. In so doing, they won a remarkable series of victories: political independence, constitutional rights, and oil nationalization, reshaping not just Kuwait, but the global petroleum order. Comrades Estranged reframes the history of labor activism, citizenship, and decolonization in Persian Gulf by centering the history of social movements—especially organized labor. Alex Boodrookas traces how workers and their allies shaped the world-historic transformations witnessed across the region: the consolidation of British sovereignty, formation of autocratic states, inrush of hydrocarbon wealth, onset of decolonization, and rise of both mass migration and mass politics. But unions failed to incorporate noncitizens into their movement, and as Boodrookas argues, this fatally undermined the movements' strength. The contradictions of nationalist and internationalist visions proved insurmountable. Comrades Estranged thus sheds light on both the power, and the limits, of citizenship and the nation-state as the framework for political action. We hope you will join the Institute for Middle East Studies, Professor Alex Boodrookas, and discussant Professor Attiya Ahmad, for this conversation about labor relations and citizenship in the twentieth century Persian Gulf region. All are welcome to attend this event in-person or online.

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Kuwait Chair of Gulf and Arabian Peninsula Affairs, Professor/Professor of Practice of International Affairs

The George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs invites nominations and applications for a full-time, non-tenure-accruing, contract faculty position as the Kuwait Chair of Gulf and Arabian Peninsula Affairs and Professor/Professor of Practice of International Affairs. This appointment will begin as early as Fall 2023 for an initial term of three years; this appointment may be renewed thereafter on a term basis. Salary and academic rank will be based on qualifications and experience; those with practitioner experience as well as those with traditional academic training are encouraged to apply.

The School seeks either a scholar or a practitioner specializing in the Arabian peninsula. Applicants from a primarily practitioner background should demonstrate exceptional professional experience with evidence of leadership, public engagement, and service. Applicants from a primarily academic background should demonstrate an exceptional record of scholarship and teaching as well as leadership in their field and the profession. As a policy-oriented MA program with a strong academic orientation, we seek applicants with a demonstrated interest in and engagement with policy as well as deep knowledge of the Gulf. We welcome applications from scholars and practitioners from a wide range of specializations, including security, diplomacy, political economy, modern history, anthropology, humanitarian and development policy, environmental issues, migration, urbanism and other relevant areas.

The Kuwait Chair is an integral part of the Elliott School’s focus on the Middle East, including the BA and MA programs in Middle East Studies and of the Title VI NRC-supported multidisciplinary Institute for Middle East Studies. The successful candidate will teach undergraduate and graduate courses on the Arabian Gulf and topics related to their specific area of expertise. The Kuwait Chair will offer professional guidance to students seeking to work in the policy realm, interface with the policy and diplomatic communities, and help to organize extracurricular events of interest to the School and Washington, DC communities.

Applicants must have either a PhD in a relevant field by the date of appointment and a demonstrated track record of high-quality research and publications on the Gulf, or possess practitioner experience in the Gulf region at the equivalent level of expertise.

George Washington University’s culture reflects its shared values, including respect and diversity. The Elliott School recognizes that diversity and social mobility are among our country’s greatest assets in engaging the rest of the world; we are deeply committed as a school to fostering an inclusive community. To this end, we encourage candidates from diverse identities, backgrounds, and experiences. We are particularly interested in receiving applications from members of underrepresented groups. The selected candidate will be expected to support inclusive excellence, including inclusive teaching. To learn more about the Elliott School’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, visit elliott.gwu.edu/diversity-and-inclusion.

Applicants should submit an online application and upload a CV, a cover letter that explains how their qualifications and experiences satisfy the basic qualifications for this position, a statement on how their past and/or potential contributions to diversity, equity, and inclusion will advance the Elliott School’s commitment to inclusive excellence (upload under Assessment of Skills), sample publications (if available), teaching evaluations or assessments (upload under Course Evaluations, if available), and course syllabi (upload under Other Documents, if available. Review of applications will begin on December 2, 2022 and will continue until the position is filled. Only complete applications will be considered.

Nominations for the position should be sent to esiafacrecruit@gwu.edu. Nominations alone do not constitute an application.

The university is an Equal Employment Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer that does not unlawfully discriminate in any of its programs or activities on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or on any other basis prohibited by applicable law.

https://www.gwu.jobs/postings/97447

Required Documents

  1. Curriculum Vitae
  2. Cover Letter
  3. Assessment of Skills Relevant to Basic Qualifications

Optional Documents

  1. Sample Publications
  2. Course Evaluations or Summaries
  3. Other Documents Refer to Special Instructions to Applicants