Salma Thani

Salma Thani

Assistant Professor of Gulf Studies, American University of Sharjah

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About Salma Thani

Salma Thani is a Gulf Studies scholar whose work focuses on the history, culture, heritage, and contemporary socio-political development of the Gulf States, particularly the UAE. She received her PhD from Monash University in Melbourne, Australia, where she also taught International Studies before joining the American University of Sharjah. Her research examines state formation, tribalism, national identity and belonging, soft power, cultural and sports diplomacy, oral history, and socio-economic transformation in the Gulf. Her interdisciplinary work also explores the intersections of sport, tourism, aviation, and diplomacy in shaping the region’s global role.

Select Bibliography

book — 2027

Thani, Salma. (forthcoming). “Using Cultures in Sports: The United Arab Emirates and Sport Diplomacy.” In Handbook on Sport and Soft Power, edited by Paul Brannagan and Danyel Reiche. Routledge.


journal — 2027

Shockley, Bethany, Michael Ewers, and Salma Thani. (forthcoming). “Belonging Reimagined: The Evolving Social Contract among Citizens and Non-Citizens in the UAE.” Digest of Middle East Studies.


journal — 2027

Ewers, Michael, Bethany Shockley, Salma Thani, and Zahra Qureshi. (forthcoming). “Reconfiguring the Expatriate Bargain: Hierarchies of Belonging, Inequality, and Policy Reform in the UAE.” Global Networks.


book — 2026

Bethany Shockley, Salma Thani, and Al Mheiri. (2026). “What Makes an Emirati: Multifaceted Identity Construction in the UAE” In Contemporary United Arab Emirates: Evolution from a Surviving State to an Assertive Power, edited by Mehran Kamrava and Nele Lenze Battaloglu. Springer.