Oil exporters: food importers - Book launch Monarchies of Extraction

Development Research/Legal Mobilization Platform Seminar Christian Henderson

In this joint Development Research/ Legal Mobilization Platform seminar, Dr Christian Henderson will launch his new book which looks into the imbalance of patterns of consumption and development within the food system of the Middle East and North Africa.

Assistant professor
Dr Christian Henderson
Date
Thursday 21 May 2026, 16:15 - 17:30
Type
Seminar
Spoken Language
English
Room
Atrium
Location
International Institute of Social Studies
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In his book, Monarchies of Extraction, Dr Christian Henderson argues that while Gulf states are known for their export of oil, they are simultaneously defined by their import of food.

He argues that these states represent what he calls 'inverted farms' - with the import of vast quantities of agricultural produce they have been able to overcome their lack of arable land.

Henderson charts the economics and politics of the Gulf through an examination of its food system, revealing the extreme imbalance of patterns of consumption and development in the Middle East and North Africa.

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