ABSTRACT

The State of Qatar is located in the Arabian Gulf, between Saudi Arabia on the west and Iran across the Gulf to the east. This small country has experienced almost unprecedented political, social, economic, and educational changes since the 1930s, when it existed as a loose association of a few thousand pearl fishermen and nomadic tribesmen (Bates, 2013; Slackman, 2010), to its present position as “a global energy giant,” having “leveraged its oil wealth and unbridled ambition to garner a world-class reputation on many fronts: international relations, art, and higher education” (Slackman, 2010). As of 2015, Qatar was recognized as a world supplier of energy, and its indigenous population had the highest per capita income in the world (US Central Intelligence Agency, n.d.). Its population increased from 676,498 in 2002 to 1,832,903 in 2012. This increase is considered to be the most rapid population growth rate anywhere in the world during that period (Forstenlechner & Rutledge, 2011). This remarkable transition provides a unique opportunity to reflect on the process of change.