https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/110996 2026-04-16T02:58:11Z 2026-04-16T02:58:11Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/111065 2023-07-03T09:54:34Z 2023-01-01T00:00:00Z

Title: “No politics zone” : critical approaches to education research in the Arab Gulf States Abstract: This special issue emerged from a virtual panel hosted by the Centre for Culture, Identity, and Education at the University of British Columbia 2021. The focus of the panel came about through discussions the three editors had in relation to their area of study – education policy in three different Arab Gulf states – Qatar, Bahrain, and Kuwait. While International Development Organizations (IDOs) have marketed policy reform as a way for “developing countries” to “catch up” with the developed world, often, these policies ignore the political context in which they unfold. This special issue argues that even amid all the reforms adopted across the Arab Gulf States (AGS), there have been things impossible to change, red lines impossible to cross, and also exceptional cases of change in what is deemed impossible contexts. This issue seeks to expose what remains undiscussed in this drive for reform in these postcolonial contexts and the inherited political and social structures that the policies overlook. Hence, this issue attempts to capture the contextual changes and continuities in each context where “injustice, oppression, and destruction caused by capitalism, colonialism, and patriarchy” continues manifesting in our educational spaces (de Sousa Santos, 2018, p.1). [excerpt]

2023-01-01T00:00:00Z Musaifer, Sara J. https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/111064 2023-06-28T05:37:59Z 2023-01-01T00:00:00Z

Title: Pedagogies of nation-building : contesting modernities and modernizing schools in (post)colonial Bahrain Authors: Musaifer, Sara J. Abstract: The purpose of this essay is to trace the gendered historical production of the modern school—a key political institution of nation-building. Focusing on 20th century colonial Bahrain, I use Foucauldian discourse analysis to examine archival data collected over 18 months in 2018-2020. I argue that the rise of modern education makes visible deep fissures within a dominant imaginary of the nation as a consolidated formation. My analysis illustrates how the imagined nation emerges in colonial Bahrain as multiple, contested, and fragmented. Modern education becomes a productive site for interrogating nationalist masculinist origin myths. I offer “pedagogies of nation-building” as a conceptual contribution that aims to capture the complexity and serendipity of sociopolitical forces enfolding and unfolding within the modern school. I end by reflecting on the implications of my conceptual arguments on education reform initiatives and pedagogical practices.

2023-01-01T00:00:00Z Al-Muftah, Esraa A. https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/111063 2023-06-28T05:38:34Z 2023-01-01T00:00:00Z

Title: Looking back to move forward : internationalization at Qatar University Authors: Al-Muftah, Esraa A. Abstract: Calls to “re-think” and “re-define” internationalization of higher education (IoHE) have been increasingly noted in the literature (Heleta & Chasi, 2022). This article takes the institutional archives of Qatar University to look back and consider what the past could mean for the future of internationalization on the campus. I highlight the importance of studying the context of Qatar University in which internationalization unfolds, including its institutional history and geopolitical surroundings. By examining the historical, cultural, and social contexts/networks in which QU is embedded, I argue that QU has been portrayed as an international project from the onset, although one motivated by Third-Worldist, Islamic, and Arab notions of solidarity and, equally importantly, one critical of Western hegemony. While I am cautious of romanticizing the past, I discuss how looking backward helps IoHE scholars think less of internationalization as a fixed phenomenon and moves the goal toward offering a more plural understanding of what internationalization can mean in different contexts. Through this case study of QU, I contribute to efforts within this critical strand of research to recenter IoHE conversations from “Euro-American-centric internationalisation definitions, strategies, policies, approaches, and practices” to other parts of the world (Heleta & Chasi, 2022, p. 2).

2023-01-01T00:00:00Z Alhouti, Ibrahim https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/111062 2023-06-28T05:34:41Z 2023-01-01T00:00:00Z

Title: The uncompleted reforms : the political mechanisms of reforming educational systems in the Arab Gulf States Authors: Alhouti, Ibrahim Abstract: During the past two decades, the Arab Gulf states (AGS) have invested heavily in reforming both the K-12 and higher education systems in the belief that this might improve the human capital and enable the region to shift toward a knowledge economy instead of relying on hydrocarbon as the primary source of state income. Yet, after this long period, these systems are still underperforming, and the region continues to struggle with providing quality educational practices that enable its citizens to contribute to the “knowledge economy” specifically or to the future of their states more generally. Many international consultants have been involved in these reforms to develop the so-called ‘neoliberal’ education reform agenda; many projects have been launched and implemented. While sporadic changes have been observed, the situation remains largely unchanged. The question is why these states have not achieved their goal: a highly-skilled nation capable of competing globally. Critical scholars have placed significant emphasis on the political mechanisms and the social circumstances in the process of education reform and its implementation (Bell & Stevenson, 2006; Heck, 2004; Nitta, 2012; Portnoi, 2016; Taylor et al., 1997; Williams & Cummings, 2005). In a similar vein, this article approaches the question of education reform in the AGS by looking at it critically from a contextual and political perspective, which is considered a new approach to studying these reforms. In doing so, the paper highlights that this drive for change avoided certain political and socio-economic matters, which may account for the low achievement and consistent underperformance of these reform initiatives in the education and development arenas. This article applies a qualitative comparative approach to examine education reform in the region by analysing key policy documents and relevant literature that studied the reform. My argument is twofold: First, the extensive involvement of the ruling establishment and the topdown policy process remain unchanged. Secondly, over the past 60 years, the region has relied heavily on foreign consultants, which indicates a lack of confidence in the local expertise to handle the reforms. Also, the ‘street-level bureaucrats’ such as school leaders and teachers remain neglected in the policy process. Finally, the political and bureaucratic contexts remain undiscussed in reforming the education system. Matters such as the instability of the leadership and the bureaucratic structures impact the low calibre of employees in the Ministry of Education but are not considered in the reform process; they seem to be a redline for the ruling establishment. Contextual changes are a crucial factor in achieving successful and sustained educational reforms, but the AGS is unwilling to risk making these changes. For policymakers and education reformers in the region, this article offers an invitation to seriously consider the contextual and political dimensions and boundaries when imagining, articulating, and implementing future education reform initiatives.

2023-01-01T00:00:00Z