Emirati academic wins the inaugural Arab scholarship to Oxford university
An Emirati academic is the first recipient of a new scholarship to the University of Oxford.
Rana Al Mutawa won the inaugural Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Graduate Scholarship, for a doctorate in Middle East studies with a focus on Emirati culture.
The award starts this academic year and will cover tuition and living expenses for a graduate student from an Arab League member state.
“I was really shocked,” Ms Al Mutawa said. “It was the first year they had the scholarship, so I had never heard of it and I just got this email.
“I was really happy because I’m from Dubai and I really admire Sheikh Mohammed, so having his name and also Oxford on the scholarship – my scholarship – made me really happy.
“If I wasn’t Emirati, I think this would be really special, that there is something for all Arabs. I think that also just the fact that it is for all Arab students, it’s something that can bring goodwill in the region.”
The scholarship is one of many initiatives of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Knowledge Foundation, which was founded in 2007.
“We’re trying to improve education, knowledge and development for all humanity,” said Ahlam Al Hosani, senior officer of human capital at the foundation.
“Some of our activities are financing or encouraging basic education for thousands of people, and others are for the elite scholars.
“We’re translating Sheikh Mohammed’s vision of knowledge and development into practical things.”
The scholarship is administered by Oxford and funds the full term of each student’s course. Any applications received before the end of this month will be considered for the following academic year.
Ms Al Hosani said one student would be awarded the scholarship annually for the first five years and, as the fund grows, more scholarships will become available.
Ms Al Mutawa, 28, was among 60 candidates. She has two master’s degrees, in international affairs at Columbia University and in public policy at the University of Tokyo.
She earned her bachelor’s degree in business administration at the American University in Dubai, and most recently, taught Emirati studies as an adjunct instructor at Zayed University in Dubai.
Ms Al Mutawa wants to pursue Emirati studies further as part of her doctoral degree, to help address misconceptions about her culture and the Arabian Gulf region.
“There has been a lot of work about the region that has been written by outsiders and a lot of their work is very flawed and biased,” she said.
“There is a bit of work from people from the inside, but I have also been disappointed with that work because it’s not really very analytical.”
She said the region presented many opportunities for new scholarships.
“There is so much that hasn’t been studied. People think of the Gulf citizens as monolithic, like we are only one culture and homogenous and so on, but that is not true,” said Ms Al Mutawa.
“The Gulf has always been cosmopolitan. It’s not just a new thing. The Gulf states had ports and they used to trade with India and East Africa and so on, and these cultures have influenced our culture.
“There is a lot of interesting research that can be done in that field.”
The Gulf has always been cosmopolitan ... there is a lot of interesting research that can be done in that field RANA AL MUTAWA Scholarship recipient