Neoliberalism and English Language Education Policies in the Arabian Gulf

Over the past two decades, the Arabian oil-rich Gulf countries have faced enormous social, political, economic, cultural, religious, ideological and epistemological upheaval. Through detailed, critical comparative investigation, Neoliberalism and English Language Education Policies in the Arabian Gulf examines the impact of such disruption on education policies in a political and economic union, consisting of six countries: Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait. Using data collected from a wide range of sources, this thought-provoking book documents the inner workings of neoliberalism across a strategic geographical area of the Islamic world. The book teases apart the complex issues surrounding the ways in which access to English has been envisioned, contested, and protected from being challenged among different players within and between the Gulf countries. Osman Z. Barnawi explores the intensifying ideological debates between Islamic culture and Western neoliberal values, and questions whether Islamic values and traditions have been successfully harmonised with neoliberal capitalist development strategies for nation building in the Arabian Gulf region. Neoliberalism and English Language Education Policies in the Arabian Gulf will be of interest to academics, researchers and postgraduates working in the fields of language education and, more specifically, TESOL, applied linguistics, education policy, and teacher education.

Dr Osman Z. Barnawi is Associate Professor of Composition and TESOL. He is the former Managing Director of Yanbu English Language Institute at the Royal Commission Colleges and Institutes, Yanbu, Saudi Arabia. He is now the Managing Director of Yanbu Technical Institute at the Royal Commission Colleges and Institutes.

List of Tables Acknowledgments Preface Organisation of the Book 1. Neoliberalism and its Key Concepts 2. The Arabian Oil-Rich Gulf Countries Today 3. Islam, Neoliberalism and Education in the GCC Region 4. Researching Neoliberal Language Education Orientations in the Arabian Gulf Countries 5. Neoliberalism and English Education Policy in Saudi Arabia 6. Neoliberalism and English Language Education Policy in the UAE 7. The Architecture of a Neoliberal English Education Policy in Qatar 8. Neoliberal English Language Education Policy in Oman 9. Neoliberalism and the English Language Education Policy in the 'New Kuwait' 10. Neoliberalism and the English Education Policy Agenda in Bahrain Today 11. A Comparative Investigation of English Education and Neoliberal Education Policies across the Arabian Gulf Countries 12. The Future of English Education in the Arabian Gulf Countries References