ABSTRACT
Sectarianism has recently been the object of attempts of definitional consolidations with the aim to make the word a workable social science concept. Echoing those about ethnic conflicts, the debates about sectarianism in the Middle East have revolved around the process by which sectarian identities shift on a continuum from “banal” sectarian identities to radical forms of politicized sectarianism. In most countries that include Shiʿa, the question of the Shiʿa’s transnational loyalties has marred relations between the Sunni rulers and their Shiʿi citizens. In the Gulf, relations between Sunnis and Shiʿa have been highly impacted by the vagaries of Iran’s bilateral relations with its Gulf neighbors.
Keywords: Sectarianism; Gulf monarchies; Sunni; Shiʿa; ethnic conflict.
