Seminar explores the history, law and society of the Gulf States

On 12 October, Universidade Lusófona held a seminar dedicated to the modern history of the Arab States of the Persian Gulf, addressing the main political, economic and legal factors that shaped the formation and consolidation of these States.

The session explored the influence of local hegemonies, British imperialism and oil exploration on the evolution of the region. The transformations of legal systems and their role in understanding the social diversity and political dynamics that have shaped the Gulf States up to the present day were also analysed.

The seminar featured Alexandre Caeiro, professor and director of the Master’s Programme in Contemporary Islamic Studies at Hamad Bin Khalifa University in Doha, Qatar. His research focuses on the political, legal and social transformations of the Arab States of the Gulf between the 19th and 21st centuries.

Among his most recent publications are “The Appeal of Religious Law: Jurisdictional Politics and Modern State Formation in the Gulf Sheikhdoms, ca. 1950–2000”, published in Law and History Review (2025), and “The Legal Politics of Islamic Bioethics: Drunk Driving and the Reconfiguration of Privacy in the Modern Gulf”, published in the British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies (2025).

Credits

Text
Natacha Freire

Coverage
Lia Calveiro
Natacha Freire

Video editing
Lia Calveiro