Mira Al Hussein

Mira is a sociologist from the United Arab Emirates and a political commentator on the Gulf region. She is the Alwaleed Centre for the Study of Islam in the Contemporary World's Project and Partnerships Manager with responsibility for brokering and developing the Centre's national and international research, teaching and outreach partnerships.

Mira also researches and writes extensively on topics related to state-society relations, citizenship, women and migrants in the Arab states of the Gulf. Mira holds a PhD in the Sociology of Education from the University of Cambridge, UK. Her thesis explored the intersection between geopolitics, state security narratives and higher education in the post-Arab Spring United Arab Emirates. She holds an MSc from the University of Bristol, where she read International Relations. Her research explored non-state actors’ influence on states foreign policy.

Mira’s research interests and area expertise broadly covers the Middle East, with a focus on the Arabian Peninsula. She is currently researching the migratory patterns and experiences of Arab Gulf citizens, and the formation of diasporic political agency in host countries. She will be teaching a course on Gulf histories, cultures, and societies.