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Transit States

Transit States

Labour, Migration and Citizenship in the Gulf

Edited by Abdulhadi Khalaf, Omar AlShehabi and Adam Hanieh

The exploitation of migrant workers in the Gulf is explored in this accessible yet in-depth analysis by scholars from the region.
There are vast swathes of people in economic migration across the Gulf states today. In total, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, Oman and Qatar form the largest destination for labour migration in the global South. This book studies the impact of this mass migration, and its effect on citizenship and workers' rights.

Transit States considers how the transitory labour power these workers provide creates an extraordinary development boom that impacts neighbouring countries. The majority of the working population is therefore composed of migrant workers with no citizenship rights.

The Gulf takes a central place in growing debates around migration and labour in the global economy. Transit States confronts the precarious working conditions of migrants in an accessible, yet in-depth manner.

Abdulhadi Khalaf is a senior lecturer in the Sociology department at Lund University. He is the co-editor of Transit States: Labour, Migration and Citizenship in the Gulf (Pluto, 2014).

Omar AlShehabi writes from Bahrain and is director of the Gulf Centre for Development Policies. He is the co-editor of Transit States: Labour, Migration and Citizenship in the Gulf (Pluto, 2014). He has previously worked at the World Bank and the IMF as well as McKinsey & Co.

Adam Hanieh is Senior Lecturer in Development Studies at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. He is editor of Transit States (Pluto, 2014), author of Capitalism and Class in the Gulf Arab States (2011) and Lineages of Revolt: Issues of Contemporary Capitalism in the Middle East (2013).

'A novel and a crucial contribution to the study of migration through the lens of political economy, applicable to sociology, anthropology, and historical studies, a rich and comprehensive collection' - Immanuel Ness, Professor Department of Political Science, Brooklyn College, City University of New York 'A valuable addition to our knowledge about the demographic, social, political, economic, historical, and spatial factors underlying the dynamics of labour migration in shaping the Gulf countries' - Nasra Shah, Professor of Demography, Kuwait University
List of Illustrations
Preface
Part I: Introduction
1. Histories of Migration to the Gulf - Omar AlShehabi
2. The Politics of Migration - Abdulhadi Khalaf
3. Overcoming Methodological Nationalism: Spatial Perspectives on Migration to the Gulf Arab States - Adam Hanieh
Part II: Dimensions of Gulf Migration: Law, Urban Space, Gender
4. Kafala: Foundations of Migrant Exclusion in GCC Labour Markets - Mohammed Dito
5. Rootless Hubs: Migration, Urban Commodification and the 'Right to the City' in the GCC - Omar AlShehabi
6. Construction Work, ‘Bachelor’ Builders and the Intersectional Politics of Urbanisation in Dubai - Michelle Buckley
Part III: Gulf Migrants: Broadening Perspectives
7. Bahrain’s Migrant Security Apparatus - K.T. Abdulhameed
8. Expat/Expert Camps: Redefining 'Labour' within Gulf Migration - Neha Vora
9. In and Out Moves of the Bahraini Opposition: How Years of Political Exile Led to the Opening of an International Front during the 2011 Crisis in Bahrain - Claire Beaugrand
Part IV: Conclusion
10. Migrant Rights in the Gulf: Charting the Way Forward - Adam Hanieh
Bibliographies
References
Index
Published by Pluto Press in Nov 2014
Paperback ISBN: 9780745335209
eBook ISBN: 9781783712212

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