EMIGRATION LITERATURE IN THE ARABIAN GULF

Since the discovery of oil in the 1970s, Gulf Cooperation Countries (Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, and Oman) have employed a large expatriate labor force, primarily from neighboring South Asian Countries of India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Philippines. Recent studies claim that nearly 50.4% of the total population of the Gulf Cooperation Countries are expatriates. Such mass emigration has not only allowed for the rapid economic expansion of these Gulf countries, but at the same time they have produced a number of cultural and socio-economic consequences for the countries from where Gulf’s primary work forces originate. Reports reveal that emigrant workers in the Gulf are often subjected to extremely long hours of work without overtime pay or rest days, incomplete and irregular payment of wages, physical and sexual abuse, poor living conditions, ability to practice religion, and even restrictions on their freedom of movement leading to physical and psychological trauma. However, with the exception of a few journalistic and statistical documentations of abuse and exploitation of emigrant workers, a substantial study that engages with the emigration history in the Gulf, its basis, and resultant representations in literature along with its consequences remain absent in academia. In an attempt to negate that lacunae, this panel welcomes papers about any aspect of emigration to the Gulf Corporation Countries. Paper proposals addressing the SAMLA 88 theme are especially welcome, connecting the utopian dream of Arabian riches to reality. By June 3rd, please submit a 300-word abstract, brief bio, and A/V requirements to Priya Menon at arabiangulfstudies@gmail.com.