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Dr. Leon Goldsmith is Senior Lecturer at the University of Otago where he works on Middle
Eastern comparative politics. His research looks at ethno-religious conflict and integration
processes, sub- and supranational identity politics, youth politics, education, political
participation, political culture, institutions and comparative political systems. His main areas
of research and publication are Syria and the Levant, and Oman and the Arabian Peninsula.
Gender Politics in Oman: Between State, Sect, and Tribe
The issue of female (dis)empowerment in the Middle East lies at the very core of the Arab-Islamic world’s contemporary troubles. Most economists agree that significant levels of income inequality negatively impact economic growth and development, so why is it not commonly considered how significant inequality between genders might also diminish social and political outcomes? This essay explores this question of gender inequality and socio-political outcomes in the Sultanate of Oman and parses between the state, sect, and tribe to discuss the sources of reform and resistance to women’s empowerment.
Immunizing Against Sectarian “Sickness”: The Case of Oman
The political culture in Oman seems to foster a pluralist intermeshing of national and sub-national identities that other diverse Arab states like Syria and Iraq were at pains to eliminate. This essay examines the Omani case to explore whether there are any lessons to be learned about sectarianism and how it can be confronted in the wider Middle East.
