Typology of Approaches to Persian Gulf Studies

This paper is intended to explore and criticize the various frameworks which have been used in order to explain and analyze the issues and problems related to the Persian Gulf. What has been indexed regarding this waterway until the present time has been solely limited to a thematic study of the articles and books published inside and outside Iran, whereas the theoretical approaches of such studies have still remained obscure. This study mainly seeks to answer the following questions: What frameworks or approaches are used in the study of a phenomenon or topic called the Persian Gulf? What is the criterion for determining the efficiency of such studies in developing the knowledge of this field? What is the reason for choosing specific approaches in this field? The important assumption here is that the Persian Gulf is an interdisciplinary subject, and, thus, historical-geographical, cultural-political, security-orientated, and economic approaches, respectively, have been the most frequently adopted approaches in the related studies and have had the greatest share in producing the literature in this regard. This study was conducted following an analytic-comparative method, and the required data were collected using the library method. The findings indicate that the above approaches have been formed on the basis of external needs and international, national, and regional considerations. They also demonstrate that the disputes over Bahrain, the three-fold islands, and the name of the Persian Gulf are the most important national elements involved in expanding the historical studies in this field.