H E Sheikh Faisal bin Qassim Al Thani presenting the award to GU-Q's Dr. Gerd Nonneman at Doha International Book Fair.
Doha, Qatar: Professor of International Relations and Gulf Studies and Chair of International Politics at Georgetown University in Qatar (GU-Q), Dr. Gerd Nonneman was awarded the Al Faisal Global Foundation Award for Gulf Studies, in the International category, at the 34th Doha International Book Fair.
The award, presented by Founder and Chairman of the Al Faisal Global Foundation for Culture and Knowledge, H E Sheikh Faisal bin Qassim Al Thani, honours his lifelong contributions to deepening global understanding of the Gulf region’s politics, economy, and international relations.
“The award is a wonderful honour, especially because it highlights both the importance of this field of study, and the fact that it has become — in the past 15 years or so — a mainstream part of wider Middle East studies,” said Dr. Nonneman.
At the awards ceremony, Dr. Nonneman observed that one of the most important trends in the field of Gulf studies has been the increased contribution of scholars from within the Gulf region itself, including younger and women scholars: “It gives me great hope for the future of the field,” he said.
Regarded as one of the world’s foremost scholars on the Gulf, Dr. Nonneman’s body of work spans the international relations of the Middle East, Gulf foreign policies, and the political economy of the GCC states.
He summed up his experience of over 40 years of studying the region as not just a scholar and professor, but a student: “I have continued to learn from my friends, students, and colleagues in Qatar and the Gulf — something for which I am immensely grateful.”
