Ali Al Youha wins prestigious PSA prize for thesis on the formation of political sovereignty in the Gulf

Congratulations to DPIR DPhil in Politics student Ali Al Youha, who has been awarded the Political Studies Association’s (PSA) Lord Bryce Prize - for comparative politics for his doctoral dissertation – ‘Inventing the Khalījī State: Formation of Political Sovereignty in the Gulf’. 

Commenting on his prize-winning thesis, the PSA Prize judges said: “The best research in comparative politics does not just illuminate unfamiliar aspects of the political world, but also casts the familiar in a new light. ‘Inventing the Khalījī State’ takes us on a tour of the Gulf from the early nineteenth to the mid-twentieth century, exploring how today’s Gulf states were formed through the interactions of local, regional and global actors. 

“But far more than that: these historical episodes expose both the contingency and deficiency of Western European conceptions of nationhood, citizenship and sovereignty, with profound implications for the understanding of state formation, democratisation and (de)colonisation that extend well beyond the spatial and temporal boundaries of the study.” 

We spoke to Ali to ask him what it meant to him to win the prize and how it will impact his future studies: 

Can you explain what your award-winning thesis is about? 

My doctoral dissertation examines the formation of political sovereignty in the Gulf (c. 1800-1936). The thesis argues against a long-established Gulf anglophone historiography that embeds monarchism within a nation-state framework as a traditional manifestation of Gulf socio-political tribal character. What are often considered primordial top-down hierarchies are rather outcomes of longue durée processes reified by an often-overlooked nineteenth-century primary institution of international society, colonialism, and its role in fitting the Gulf into a European self-image of sovereignty. Authority that was traditionally overlapping, diffuse, and shared among sheikhs/tribes was territorialised and centralised into monarchies as a pre-requisite to entry into the international system. 

How do you feel to have won the award? 

I felt honoured, privileged, and humbled to be recognised by the Political Studies Association. This award feels like the culmination of the unwavering support, guidance, and encouragement I received from my supervisor, Professor Yaacov Yadgar, and the DPIR community. 

What does this mean to you and your future studies? 

The award reinforced my commitment of the importance of historical literacy in the study of politics. Historical literacy is essential to engage more thoughtfully, critically and empathetically with the past and its impact in shaping our present. 

Can you tell us what you are currently working on? 

I am working on developing my thesis into a monograph. Prior to this, I completed an article, titled ‘Pirates’, Ports, Politics: The Gulf (Khalīj) & International Society’s Expansion', which was published in the Review of International Studies journal.