Challenges to Sociology in the Gulf States: A Case Study of Kuwait

Transcription

1 132 Challenges to Sociology in the Gulf States: A Case Study of Kuwait, Kuwait University, Kuwait My paper is based on a bigger paper being published about the development of family theories in Kuwait. Based on that paper I have written a general paper about the social sciences field in the Gulf States Region, a region with shared interests in oil production and development, similar political systems and Sheikhdom, and what people in the Gulf Region refer to as an inheritance-based authority that controls each state. The Gulf Region consists of Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, Oman, and the United Arab Emirates. Our topic today is to clarify how far we have gone in terms of theoretical development in the social sciences in Kuwait. Kuwait has led the region in the development of science, and has a good history of academic and cultural achievement. Currently, the latest universities in the United Arab Emirates and Dubai have 63 international branches, which will have an important positive effect on the development of the social sciences in the region. I will focus on Kuwait as an example from which we can generalize about social changes that have occurred in the other Gulf State societies. The economic, social, and political changes that are taking place in Gulf State societies in the last half century can be attributed to many factors. Economic factors related especially to the discovery of oil have played a significant role in accelerating the process of socioeconomic development. After a long period of suffering, our primitive orthodox Gulf societies began to suddenly expand and develop in a relatively short period of time and many dedicated specialists have emerged. As a result, the economic prosperity that was heralded by the discovery of oil in the Gulf Region has played a significant role in the socio economic development of the Gulf States Region.

2 Challenges to Sociology in the Gulf States 133 THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE SOCIAL SCIENCES Research in the social sciences in the Gulf Region has gone through two different stages. The first, the so-called pre-oil era ran through the late 50s when Gulf societies were largely primitive and depended heavily on a primitive economy. This era is considered to be historically very primitive and what is called social science was based on short stories and proverbs. The second era follows the discovery of oil (in the early 1950s) and includes the development of universities and schools. Many scholars traveled to other countries like Egypt, the US, Lebanon, Britain and other European countries. Gulf scholars began to develop scientific theories that could be applied to social science research for Kuwait and the Gulf States. My paper will highlight new findings while simultaneously emphasizing an emerging consistency in social science thinking. THE STATUS OF THE SOCIAL SCIENCES IN THE GULF STATES During the 1980s and 1990s, the literature in social studies expanded and improved. This period also witnessed a vigorous evolution of social studies resulting from the high numbers of students returning with advanced degrees. The general field of social studies in the Gulf Region entered a new stage in the middle of the twentieth century, although social science research did not begin in Kuwait until the early 70s. Following the early 70s there was an entirely new system of scientific social research. The growth of social science in the United States has affected many different countries and Kuwait and the Gulf region in general are no exception. There has been a growth in the literature on social studies in Kuwait expanding considerably and showing marked improvement. Various academic institutions and organizations started not only to take an interest in the field but also to support and sponsor research in the field as well, including universities, the Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Science, the Ministry of Higher Planning, different government institutions in the Gulf States Region as well as non-governmental organizations like social work and sociological organizations. The lack of social science studies in Kuwait reflects two interrelated conclusions. First, the field was an especially minor one, within the realm of larger social behavior studies. Second, Kuwaiti social scientists have published few articles devoted to social theory. Within the Gulf Region, most published studies have been in Arabic and have been published only in regional journals by those scholars interested in studying local societies.

3 134 Some of those studies presented a very critical perceptive and this became an obstacle to publishing articles in government institution journals. Some studies were critical of the political economic field in Kuwait as well as neighboring societies. While we do have democracy and development in the Gulf, we also have tribes and states as an obstacle to democracy. The past fifteen years have witnessed a radical development of journals and institutions dedicated to social scientific study. Furthermore, the return of graduates from the US and Europe have also contributed to the field of the social sciences. New scientific journals, for example, the Journal of the Gulf and the Arabian Peninsula Studies, the Journal of Social Science and the Arab, and the Arab Journal of the Humanities have all evolved into impressive publications. Several journals are devoted to the topic of social science in the Gulf States Region, including Social Affairs in the UAE, the Journal of Education and numerous other journals in Saudi Arabia. Kuwait University is represented by the Sociology and Social Work Department and the Psychology Department as well as the newly established department for rendering financial support for research in every college, have all contributed substantially to this field. Furthermore, the Kuwait Foundation for Advancement of Science (KFAS) and other similar research support institutions in other Gulf States have stepped forward as leaders in the development of social studies in general, funding valuable social science research projects while social workers and non-profit organizations have become firmly established and flourishing since All of this has taken place in a remarkably short period of time in the field of social studies in Kuwait while similar situations have occurred in the Gulf States Region. KFAS has a state award that it awards each year in the social science field to individuals who enrich the social sciences. Empirical research has improved methodology in social studies including the areas of sample selection, questionnaire design, data collection, and identifying the target population of the sample. Help from university and high school students have also made it easier for researchers to deal with the issues related to the general population. Therefore what we need in the future are social scientists who can bridge the gap between the philosophy of science literature, and the social sciences. To accomplish this, we need to develop a new approach to theory construction, one that will help us to find theoretical variables and to state theoretical ideas systematically, to link data with an abstract proposition, link different theoretical ideas together, and be mindful of the differences between observable and contingent variables. This will help us

4 Challenges to Sociology in the Gulf States 135 to develop more refined theories in the long run. It will facilitate interaction between theory and empirical research, helping both to grow. Although we have many different study areas in the social science field, none of them are competent enough to create a goal theory. We need a new methodology that will equip the social sciences with the tools to become actively involved in the systematic development of theory. What we lack in Kuwait and the Gulf States Region in the field of social studies is methodological innovation. Most of the literature is mainly empirical with an emphasis on description and prognosis. Theory tends to be underdeveloped at best once methodological substitution is increased beyond the marginal level of utility. Early studies of theoretical writing have become a rich source for future analysis. It is relatively easy to use new methodology to integrate scientifically and deduce and refine earlier studies and findings. My conclusion is that the social sciences in general and sociological theory in particular has come a long way in Kuwait and the whole Gulf Area. My present review reflects a significant increase in the number of relevant studies from past years. Social scientific research in general in Kuwait has increased during the 1990s in terms of quantity but not quality. It is clear that there is a lack of conceptual methodology and theoretical substitution in this area because the field is still a relatively new one, and one that relies more heavily on the use of survey techniques. Survey research is an important element of social study and must continue in a new direction where both qualitative and quantitative approaches are combined. Research theory and agenda should promote and create a synthesis. It should inherit support for avenues of research theory that appear to be promising while unifying avenues previously neglected. A research policy agenda should combine enough to encourage universities and scientific institutions to be attentive to and provide effort in the scientific community in Kuwait.We need scholars to get involved in the difficult challenges of theory building, and this will improve many aspects of social theory. In the future we need to move from descriptive to explanatory research. We also need to integrate reliable analysis of all subspecialties in the field. CONCLUSION Finally, research continues to be clustered and needs to be focused on theory development and application. Advances in these fields are anticipated. So, we have to move toward greater scientific efficiency and description. We need to see more studies in the social theory field especially

5 136 from a sociological perspective. It should be noted that Kuwaiti society and the Gulf States are a very rich and unexplored source of empirical research with regards to many variables. Most significantly, Kuwaiti society is a society that has undergone radical social change. The Iraqi invasion and occupation of Kuwait left its mark on it in spite of the fact that the incident only lasted approximately seven months. The aggression has given rise to a great number of social and psychological effects estimated to have last for many years. This period of the Iraqi occupation has paved the way for Kuwait to interact more closely with other societies and cultures, consequently acquiring new norms and phenomena worth studying. Therefore with the availability of such a rich source, researchers have more than enough on their hands to probe deeper than ever.