This volume presents eight scholarly contributions that provide a systematic and interdisciplinary analysis of the Persian Gulf and its islands from historical and political economy perspectives. Through a rigorously integrated analytical framework, the chapters examine the structural characteristics, historical features and trajectories, contemporary transformations, and institutional configurations that have shaped—and continue to reshape—the political, economic, and socio-spatial formations of the region. By critically engaging contemporary key debates about colonial legacies, state formation, title (ownership), and sovereignty, the volume elucidates the dynamic processes through which the Persian Gulf has emerged as a strategic locus within regional and global political-economic orders. Collectively, these book chapters provide a nuanced and conceptually rigorous understanding of the Persian Gulf’s evolving role in global systems, while also establishing a critical foundation for future research and interdisciplinary studies.

Nezameddin Faghih is an UNESCO Chair Professor Emeritus, and the Founding Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Global Entrepreneurship Research (Springer). He has published more than 70 books and 100 fully refereed research articles, and presented more than 120 invited talks in academia, industry, and professional meetings.

Seyed Abol-Ghasem Foroozani is a Professor of History at Shiraz University, editorial board member of 3 prestigious academic journals. He has published 13 books in history and over 100 research articles and presented more than 40 papers in conferences and invited talks in professional and academic meetings.

Seyedeh Sara Foroozani received her PhD in English Language and American Literature in 2021. She has published 10 fully refereed research articles in prestigious journals and presented several papers in international conferences as well.

Ali Hussein Samadi is Professor, Department of Economics, Shiraz University (Iran). He has a PhD in economics of the public sector and his specialty is in institutional economics and econometrics. He is Editor-in-Chief of the Iranian Journal of Economic Studies (IJES).