Staff Profiles
Dr Christopher Davidson, BA & MA (Cambridge); M.Litt & Ph.D (St. Andrews); FHEA
(email at christopher.davidson@durham.ac.uk)
Christopher read Modern History at King's College, University of Cambridge, before taking his M.Litt and Ph.D in Middle Eastern Studies at the University of St. Andrews. He has lived and worked in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and Beirut. Before joining Durham he was an assistant professor at Zayed University in the United Arab Emirates, first on the Abu Dhabi campus, then in Dubai. He is also a fellow of the UK Higher Education Academy and in 2009 was a visiting associate professor at Kyoto University, Japan.
He is co-editor of the book series 'Power and Politics in the Gulf' published simultaneously by Columbia University Press (in the US) and Hurst & Co (in the UK).
He is a United Nations (Alliance of Civilizations) and Middle East Policy Council expert on the Gulf monarchies, notably the United Arab Emirates, with a secondary interest in Lebanese politics.
His 2008 book 'Dubai: The Vulnerability of Success' was named a book of the year by both the New Statesman and the London Evening Standard, and has been reviewed, inter alia, by the Financial Times, the New York Times, Foreign Affairs, the Los Angeles Times, the Chicago Tribune, and the free Arabic press. It has been the subject of multiple television and radio documentaries and was cited by the New York Times, the Daily Telegraph, and the Independent as having predicted the 2009 Dubai crash.
He has provided consultations and reports for a variety of government, legal, and financial institutions in the United Kingdom, the United Arab Emirates, the United States, and Japan.
His television and radio appearances include most major networks, including the BBC News, BBC Newsnight, Sky News, ABC News, Al-Jazeera, BBC World Service, BBC Radio 2, 4 & 5, Bloomberg, ITV, Press TV, WNYC, Reuters TV, NPR, American Public Radio, RTE-1, The Discovery Channel, and Abu Dhabi TV.
He has been interviewed and his work cited by the leading international newspapers and the free Arabic press. His opinion editorials have appeared in the Observer, the Daily Telegraph, the New Statesman, and OpenDemocracy. He writes a regular column for Al-Akhbar newspaper (in Beirut).
Further details: www.christopherdavidson.net
Research Groups
Selected Publications
Books: authored
- Davidson, Christopher M. 2009. Abu Dhabi: Oil and Beyond. New York / London: Columbia University Press / Hurst & Co. (Additional information) (View publication online)
- Davidson, Christopher M. 2008. Dubai: The Vulnerability of Success. New York / London: Columbia University Press / Hurst & Co. (Additional information) (View publication online)
- Davidson, Christopher M. 2005. The United Arab Emirates: A Study in Survival. Boulder, Colorado: Lynne Rienner Press. (Additional information) (View publication online)
Books: edited
- Davidson, Christopher M. & Mackenzie-Smith, Peter. 2008. Higher Education in the Gulf: Shaping Economies, Politics and Cultures. London: Saqi press. (Additional information) (View publication online)
Books: sections
- Davidson, Christopher M. 2009. The United Arab Emirates: Economy First, Politics Second. In Political Liberalization in the Persian Gulf. Teitelbaum, Joshua. New York / London: Columbia University Press / Hurst & Co. 223-248. (Additional information) (View publication online)
- Davidson, Christopher M. 2008. Diversification in Abu Dhabi and Dubai: The Impact on National Identity and the Ruling Bargain. In Popular Culture and Political Identity in the Arab Gulf States. Alsharekh, Alanoud. & Springborg, Robert. London: Saqi Books. 143-153. (Additional information) (View publication online)
- Davidson, Christopher M. 2008. Higher Education in the Gulf: An Historical Background. In Higher Education in the Gulf States: Shaping Economies, Politics and Cultures. Davidson, Christopher M. & Mackenzie-Smith, Peter. London: Saqi Press. 23-40. (Additional information) (View publication online)
- Davidson, Christopher M. 2008. The Impact of Economic Reform on Dubai. In Reform in the Middle East Oil Monarchies. Ehteshami, Anoushivaran. & Wright, Steven. London: Ithaca Press. 153-180. (Additional information) (View publication online)
Journal papers: academic
- Davidson, Christopher M. 2010. Persian Gulf - Pacific Asia Linkages in the Twenty-First Century: A Marriage of Convenience? London School of Economics / Kuwait Programme Papers 1(7): 1-35. (Additional information) (View publication online)
- Davidson, Christopher M. 2009. Abu Dhabi's New Economy: Oil, Investment and Domestic Development. Middle East Policy 16(2): 59-79. (Additional information) (View publication online)
- Davidson, Christopher M. 2009. Dubai and the United Arab Emirates: Security Threats. British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies 36(3): 431-447. (Additional information) (View publication online)
- Davidson, Christopher M. 2009. Dubai: Foreclosure of a Dream. Middle East Report 251(Summer): 8-13. (Additional information) (View publication online)
- Davidson, Christopher M. 2009. The United Arab Emirates: Prospectives for Political Reform. Brown Journal of World Affairs 15(2): 116-128. (Additional information) (View publication online)
- Davidson, Christopher M. 2008. Dubai: The Security Dimensions of the Region's Premier Free Port. Middle East Policy 15(2): 143-160. (Additional information) (View publication online)
- Davidson, Christopher M. 2008. From Traditional to Formal Education in the Lower Arabian Gulf, 1820-1971. History of Education 37(5): 633-643. (Additional information) (View publication online)
- Davidson, Christopher 2007. 'Arab Nationalism and British opposition in Dubai, 1920-66'. Middle Eastern Studies 43(6): 879-892. (Additional information) (View publication online)
- Davidson, Christopher M. 2007. 'The Emirates of Abu Dhabi and Dubai: Contrasting Roles in the International System'. Asian Affairs 38(1): 33-48. (View publication online)
- Davidson, Christopher M. 2006. After Shaikh Zayed: the Politics of Succession in Abu Dhabi and the United Arab Emirates. Middle East Policy 13(1): 42-59. (Additional information) (View publication online)
Media Contacts
Available for media contact about:
- Politics & Society: Abu Dhabi
- Politics & Society: Dubai
- Politics & Society: The United Arab Emirates
- Politics & Society: Lebanese Politics
- Politics & Society: Gulf Politics
Supervises
- Miss Maria Kastrinou-Theodoropoulou