The “New Regionalisms” Working Group, led by Dr. Adam Hanieh (Professor of Political Economy and Global Development at the Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies at the University of Exeter), aims to study the nature of regions that are continuously characterized by being emerging, interconnected, expansive, and overlapping, with a focus on the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). The group seeks to challenge traditional geographical, political, and thematic frameworks related to the MENA region and to push for a better understanding of the relationships between the local, national, regional, and global levels. Regional events and dynamics will be used to enrich global systems and connections and to develop related theories, instead of treating the Arab region or the Middle East as an exception, a contrast, or a laboratory for theories formed in other parts of the world.
Adam Hanieh is a Professor of Political Economy and Global Development at the Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies at the University of Exeter and a Distinguished Research Fellow at the Institute for International and Area Studies (IIAS) at Tsinghua University in Beijing, China. His current research focuses on the political economy of oil in the context of the climate emergency and the emerging relationships between Gulf states and China/East Asia. His latest book, Raw Capital: Oil, Corporate Power, and the Making of Global Markets, will be published by Verso Books in 2024.
