Abstract
The Family Business Histories project contributed an embedded course module to NYUAD’s Dr. William Zimmerle’s class Arabia Felix: The Imagined Land of Happiness in June 2026. The module combined a research seminar, an interactive workshop, a lecture on oral-history methods, and a site visit to the Abu Haleeqa store – a long-standing Abu Dhabi family business specializing in traditional Emirati menswear, founded in 1976.
Agenda
COMPONENT
DESCRIPTION
Research Seminar
Introductory session on the historical role of merchant families in Gulf history, with a focus on oral-history as a methodological tool for knowledge creation in the Gulf.
Methodology Workshop
Interactive session on source analysis, close reading and criticism of historical sources in the MENA region.
Site Visit
A site visit to the Abu Haleeqa family business, where students conducted data collection for their group assignments and had the opportunity to engage directly with staff and family members to gain insights into the business’s operations and history.
Group Assignment
Undergraduate students were tasked with building a digital history project tracing the Gulf region’s socio-economic transformation through the histories of family firms. Drawing on oral histories and archival research, the project brings together personal narratives and historical records that speak to the broader patterns of evolution.
Student credits: Ahd Sahloul, Asini Subanya, Bernard Gharbin, Chenhao An, Godbless Osei, Jana Mohsen, Janna Alriyami, Maryam Alkenji, Naya Nassri, Remy Janabi, Saad Iftikhar, Sumeed Saleem
Media Gallery
