Abdulrasool Ali Suleiman AlMousa

Abdulrasool Ali Suleiman Al-Mousa
Add a Photo
Born	15 August 1943 Kuwait
Died	12 August 2022 Kuwait
Occupation	Kuwaiti Professor and social geographer
Academic background
Alma mater	SOAS University of London
Thesis	[/mnt/data/Dr. Almousa’s Curriculum Vitae.pdf 'Bedouin Shanty Settlements in Kuwait: A Study in Social Geography'] (1976)
Academic work
Institutions	Kuwait University
Website	http://www.masaraltanmya.com

Professor Dr. Abdulrasool Ali Suleiman Al-Mousa (Arabic: عبد الرسول علي سليمان الموسى; 15 August 1943 – 12 August 2022) was a prominent Kuwaiti scholar, social geographer, and academic leader whose research significantly shaped the fields of migration studies, labour force analysis, housing, and urban development in the State of Kuwait. Over nearly four decades at Kuwait University, he served as professor, administrator, researcher, visiting scholar at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), and advisor to numerous national bodies. His extensive publications and involvement in national planning committees positioned him as one of Kuwait’s most influential academic figures of the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries.

Kuwait University announcedhis passing on 12 August 2022 through its official communication channels, recognizing his long-standing academic contributions to the institution and the country.

Early life and education

Abdulrasool Al-Mousa was born in Kuwait on 15 August 1943. He pursued higher education in geography and specialized in social geography, focusing on the relationship between social structures, population change, and spatial organisation in the context of modern Kuwait.

He earned his Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Social geography from the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London in 1976. His doctoral thesis was titled Bedouin Shanty Settlements in Kuwait: A Study in Social Geography (1976). The dissertation examined informal Bedouin settlements and the socio-spatial dynamics of urbanisation in Kuwait, contributing to early scholarship on rapid social and spatial change in the Gulf region.

Academic career

Al-Mousa began his academic career at Kuwait University in 1981, where he was appointed as a Lecturer in the College of Arts. He later became an Assistant Professor in the same year (1981–1988), and was promoted to full Professor in 1988, a title he held until 2018.

Throughout his tenure, he held numerous academic, administrative, and leadership roles across department, college, and university levels. His work emphasised academic planning, curriculum development, faculty promotion, research funding, and academic evaluation.

At the central university level, he served as Assistant Vice President for Research (1986–1989), contributing to research policy, institutional strategy, and the promotion of scientific activity across Kuwait University. Within the College of Arts, he held the following positions:

• Assistant Dean for Academic Affairs, Consultation, and Training – College of Arts (1993–1998)
• Assistant Dean for Administrative and Financial Affairs – College of Arts (1980–1981)

Al-Mousa was also invited to serve as a visiting professor at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London, between 1989 and 1991, strengthening academic collaboration between Kuwait and the United Kingdom.

Editorial work

Al-Mousa held multiple editorial positions across academic journals at Kuwait University and regional research institutions, particularly in the social sciences and regional studies. His editorial roles included:

• Editor-in-Chief, Al-Bahith Journal, Kuwait University (1986–1989)
• Editorial board member, Gulf and Arabian Peninsula Studies Journal (1988–1992)
• Editor-in-Chief, Arabization Journal, Kuwait University (1989–1993)
• Editorial board member, Social Sciences Journal (1997–2022)

Through these positions, he contributed to peer review, publication standards, and the dissemination of research on the Arabian Peninsula and Gulf region.

Scientific experience

Al-Mousa participated in and led numerous national scientific and research projects, often in cooperation with government ministries, advisory councils, and international consultancies. The projects listed in his curriculum vitae include:

1. Principal investigator and supervisor of the research project on the impact of the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait on the role of the Kuwaiti labour force, focusing on the shift from dependence on foreign labour to self-reliance, in collaboration with Professor Keith McLachlan, University of London (1993–1996).
2. Head of the Population Studies Research Team – Advisory Council to His Highness the Amir (1993).
3. Member of the Research Committee on School and Society – Ministry of Education (1993).
4. Member of the Population Policy Committee – Ministry of Planning (1992).
5. Principal investigator and supervisor of the research project on foreign labour in Kuwait (1985).
6. Head of the Social Studies Working Team for the Revised Structural Plan of Kuwait – Colin Buchanan & Partners (1983).
7. Principal investigator for the Study of the Housing Problem in Kuwait – Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences (1982).
8. Member of the Kuwaiti counterpart team to Colin Buchanan & Partners for drafting the Structural Plan for the State of Kuwait (1969–1972).

These research activities reflected Al-Mousa’s prominent role in national development planning, demographic analysis, and applied social geography.

Publications

Al-Mousa authored numerous books, academic studies, journal articles, and research papers covering social geography, migration, housing, urban development, labour policy, and the social structure of Kuwait.

Books and monographs

• Between Two Cities: A Geographical Vision (2014), Dar Al-Uloom for Printing and Publishing, Beirut.
• Readings in the Geography of Kuwait and the Federal Republic of Germany (2007), chapter in an edited volume, Dar Khutuwat, Damascus.
• Development in a Cage (2008), Dar Al-Fikr, Damascus.
• Geography and Its Spatial Philosophy: Spatial Analysis (2009), Dar Al-Fikr, Damascus.
• Labor Force and Population Policy (1996), Publications of the Association of Sociologists, Kuwait.
• Kuwait: The Affluent Elite Society – Reality and Illusion (2000), Saqi Books, London. (Co-authored with Keith McLachlan)
• Immigrant Labor in Kuwait (1985), co-authored with K. S. McLachlan (Al-Mousa authored Chapters 1, 2, 3, and 6).
• Parliamentary Elections and Candidacy in Kuwait (1998), Kuwait.
• Urban Development and Planning in Kuwait (1952–1980) (1981), Khattouf Publishing and Distribution, Kuwait.
• Housing and the Concept of Housing Planning (1988), Anglo Library, Cairo.
• Social and Economic Characteristics of Immigrants to Kuwait: A Study in Social Geography – co-authored with Dr. Makki Aziz, Publications Agency, Kuwait (1981).

Selected journal articles

• The Job as an Outcome of Modernization in Kuwait – Social Sciences Journal, Vol. 6, Issue 1, Spring 1988, Kuwait.
• Factors Affecting Residency of Immigrant Workers in Kuwait – Arab Journal of the Social Sciences, Vol. 2, No. 2, October 1987, Kuwait.
• Stability of the Foreign Labour Force in Kuwait – The Arab Gulf Journal, Vol. 6, No. 1, London, 1986.
• Kuwait Changing Environment: A Geographical Perspective – British Society for Middle Eastern Studies, Vol. 11, No. 1, London, 1984.
• Wage Pattern among the Foreign Labour Force in Kuwait – The Arab Gulf Journal, Vol. 6, No. 2, 1982 (with Professor K. S. McLachlan).
• Social and Housing Transformations and the Role of Planning in Facing These Changes: The Kuwaiti Model – Jordan University Studies Journal, Vol. 8, June 1981.
• The Concept of Urban Services and Their Locations: The Kuwaiti Model – Humanities Journal, Vol. 1, Kuwait, 1981.
• Non-Arab Immigration to Kuwait with Special Reference to Asian Immigrants – Journal of the Social Sciences, Vol. 8, No. 4, January 1981.

Research presented at conferences

Al-Mousa presented several research papers at regional and international conferences. The following works are listed in his curriculum vitae as research presented (published):

• State and Civil Society – The Experience of the State of Kuwait – presented at the Fifth Conference of the Gulf Cultural and Social Associations and Societies, Kuwait, 1998.
• Social Area Analysis – An Applied Study in Social Geography for the Hawalli Area – presented in France (1989).
• Construction Migrants in Kuwait – prepared for the International Labour Organization (ILO), included in Social and Labour Issues Concerning Migrant Workers in the Construction Industry, ILO, 1994.

Unpublished research

The following studies appear in Al-Mousa’s CV as completed but unpublished research projects:

• The Impact of Geographical Changes on the Social Structure of the Population.
• Recreational Services – A Case Study of the Al-Khiran Area.
• Urbanization and the Role of Bedouins in Social Structure in Kuwait – from Heritage of the Bedouins, Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences, Kuwait, 1986.
• Housing Policy in Kuwait – Arab Planning Institute, Kuwait, 1994.
• The Effect of Migration on Urbanization in Kuwait (1995).

Conferences attended

The following is a complete list of conferences attended by Professor Abdulrasool Al-Mousa, as recorded in his curriculum vitae:

1. Visiting Professor – SOAS, University of London (1989–1991).
2. Development Strategies in Gulf States – Exeter University, United Kingdom (1979).
3. Role of Municipalities in Arab Urban Development – Monastir, Tunisia (1979).
4. Housing in Arab Countries – Doha, Qatar (1980).
5. Population & Development – Kuwait University (1980).
6. Heritage of Bedouins – Sadu House, Kuwait (1986).
7. Urbanization and Development – SOAS, London (1986).
8. Oil and Social Change – Sociologists Association, Kuwait (1988).
9. Research & Development – International Institute of Management, Geneva, Switzerland (1988).
10. Arab Ministers of Education – Damascus, Syria (1989).
11. Globalization Challenges in the Arab Region – held in Kuwait, Turkey, and Iran (1997).
12. GCC Sociologists Forum – Kuwait (1998).
13. Facing Development Challenges – Beirut, Lebanon (2010).
14. Sabbatical Leave 2012/2013 – research for the book Between Two Cities.

Academic activity while employed at Kuwait University

The following lists represent the academic activity of Professor Abdulrasool Al-Mousa at Kuwait University, as recorded in his curriculum vitae.

At the department level

1. Planning and Development Committee (1992–1998).
2. Graduate Studies Committee (1982–1988).
3. Academic Committee (1984–1988).
4. Appointments Committee (1985, 1986, 1989, 1994).
5. Promotions Committee (1992–1994).
6. Chair, Planning and Development Committee (2000–2001).
7. Member, Library Committee (2000–2001).
8. Member, Promotions Committee (2000–2001).
9. Member, Promotions Committee (2001–2002).
10. Member, Appointments Committee (2002–2003).
11. Chair, Planning and Development Committee (2002–2003).
12. Member, Cultural Committee (2002–2003).

At the college level

1. Member, Promotions Committee – Department of Sociology and Social Work (2000).
2. Curriculum Development and Strategic Planning Committee – Fifth Plan (2001–2002) and Future College Vision (2000).
3. Member, College Council (1981–1981; 1993–1998).
4. Chair, Planning and Development Committee (1980–1981; 1992–1998).
5. Chair, Promotions Committee (1986–1987).
6. Chair, Academic Committee (1993–1998).
7. Chair, Consultation and Training Committee (1993–1998).
8. Chair, Cultural Committee (1993–1998).
9. Assistant Dean for Academic Affairs, Consultation, and Training – College of Arts (1993–1998).
10. Assistant Dean for Administrative and Financial Affairs – College of Arts (1980–1981).
11. Member, Planning and Development Committee (2000–2001).
12. Member, Promotions Committee – Department of Political Science (2001).
13. Member, Promotions Committee (additional years not specified).

At the university level

1. Chair, Translation and Publication Committee (1989–1993).
2. Chair, Arabization Committee (1989–1993).
3. Chair, Committee to Evaluate Department Heads – English Department (1989).
4. Chair, Committee to Evaluate Department Heads – History Department (1993).
5. Chair, Committee to Evaluate Department Heads – Economics Department (1997).
6. Chair, Committee to Evaluate Department Heads – English Language and Literature (1997).
7. Chair, Committee to Evaluate Department Heads – Arabic Language and Literature (1997).
8. Chair, Committee to Evaluate Department Heads – Sociology and Social Work (1997).
9. Chair, Review Committee on Promotion System (1995).
10. Chair, Study Committee on Introducing the Course "Professional Ethics" for Graduation in Scientific Fields (1995).
11. Chair, Admission System Committee for English school students at the university (1995).
12. Member, Distinguished Researcher Awards Committee (1994).
13. Member, Research Funding Committee (1986–1988).
14. Member, Graduate Studies Committee (1994–1995).
15. Member, Promotion System Evaluation Committee (1996).
16. Assistant Vice President for Research (1986–1989).
17. Member, Department Head Selection Committee – Curriculum and Teaching Methods, College of Education (2000).
18. Member, Department Head Selection Committee – Philosophy Department, College of Arts (2002).
19. Chair, Distinguished Researcher Award Committee – College of Social Sciences (2002).
20. Member, Distinguished Researcher Award Committee – College of Arts (2002).
21. Member, Department Head Selection Committee – Library and Information Science, College of Social Sciences (2009).
22. Member, Department Head Selection Committee – Private Law, College of Law (2010).
23. Member, Department Head Selection Committee – Political Science, College of Social Sciences (year not specified).

Memberships

Al-Mousa was a member of several professional and scientific bodies, including:

• Royal Geographical Society (or equivalent British geographical society membership, as recorded).
• Environmental Protection Society (local environmental organisation).
• Kuwait British Alumni Association (K.A.B.A.).

Death

Professor Abdulrasool Ali Suleiman Al-Mousa passed away on 12 August 2022 at the age of 79.

Kuwait University announced his passing through its official social media platforms, issuing public condolences and recognising his academic contributions:

• [https://www.instagram.com/p/ChNOCIkMImx/ Official Kuwait University obituary announcement.
• [https://www.instagram.com/p/ChPT9iRMm5y/ Kuwait University tribute post.

A memorial video was also circulated by the university community and posted online.

External links

Add External links

This article "Abdulrasool Ali Suleiman AlMousa" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical. Articles taken from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be accessed on Wikipedia's Draft Namespace.