Under construction: logics of urbanism in the Gulf Region

摘要

This book is a collection of thoughts by a group of predominantly European scholars on a controversial question with controversial assumptions.This anthology comprises four sections with 21 chapters, and offers insights into the problems and prospects of rapid development in the Persian Gulf region. Chapter 1 explores the on-going nature of development in the Gulf region "beyond matter-of-fact descriptions and popular praise" (3). Questioning the"taken-for-granted term Persian Gulf'O), the editors endorse a self-proclaimed term'Arab(ian) Gulf based solely on the stellar economic performance of the small Arab states on its southern shore. Whether the quality and intensity of these developments alone justify using the Persian Gulf'm the past tense sounds questionable, and reflects its politicization rather than historic accuracy.