An Island of Courts: Law, Society, and Oil in Bahrain, 1920-1950

“An Island of Courts: Law, Society, and Oil in Bahrain, 1920-1950” demonstrates how various communities in Bahrain experienced the early development of the modern Bahraini state alongside the rise of the oil economy. More specifically, I ask how the lives, livelihoods, and intimate spaces of inhabitants in Bahrain changed as they navigated a shifting political economy, one that experienced a transition from a seasonal maritime economy to one relying on nonrenewable resources. By mapping Bahrainis’ engagement with foreign, local, and national legal institutions, I delve into the mechanisms of exchange within communities, their interaction with different, plural legal spaces, and the moments in which individuals claimed belonging and agency in an emerging regional landscape of nation-states.

Through the lens of legal history, I examine the everyday negotiations that occurred as Bahraini society dramatically changed and highlight the social, economic, and religious nuances of Gulf history commonly overlooked before and during the time of oil. Based on archival research in the Persian Gulf and Great Britain, my work brings together scholarship from various regions and across legal disciplines to deepen research on the Gulf and move beyond the teleological assumptions remaining in scholarship about the pre- and post-oil history of the Persian Gulf.

This project untangles the legal lives of both locals and foreigners. I show how circulating societies like those of the pre-oil Gulf adapted to, and were influenced by, the early twentieth century's legal, political, and social developments, as well as participation in the formation of global trade and legal boundaries. My focus on the legal landscape opens up new avenues of understanding how the transition to oil occurred and the minute mechanisms that influenced daily life. I demonstrate the endurance of dynamics typically associated with 19th century transformations, such as the developments of codified imperial law, national boundaries, and a globalizing economy. Oil did not force a redefining of relationships in Bahrain; it had already begun when they discovered petroleum. As the Persian Gulf became increasingly bound up in these processes, its inhabitants learned to navigate the changing boundaries between nations, communities, and families – all while their livelihoods transformed before their eyes.