​The Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies and the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies have published the 51st issue (Winter 2025) of the quarterly peer-reviewed journal Omran, dedicated to the social sciences. This special issue on “Studies on Gulf Cities,” includes 4 articles: “Cities as Frameworks of Affiliation: Some Considerations” by Ulrike Freitag; “Resilience Strategies in Gulf Smart Cities: Addressing Climate Change and Urban Policy Challenges” by Arshad Mahmood; “The Role of Urban Transformation in Saudi Arabia’s Nation-building: The Case of al-Balad, Jeddah” by Rufei Li; and “The Gulf City, Rapid Urban Transformations and Globalization: A Critical Analysis of Al Garhoud, Dubai” by Simona Azzali. In addition, the articles section includes a study titled “The Living Conditions of Displaced Women in Darfur from the Perspective of Anti-Oppressive Practices in Social Work” by Ferdoos Abed Rabo Alissa & Faisal Ahmed Mohammed Alzain.

The issue also includes a translation of Herbert Blumer’s “What is Wrong with Social Theory?” by Hassane Hjij. In the reports section, Rasheed Ali contributes a paper titled “The Growing Public Debt in Jordan and the Interest Rate Control Policy”. Two book reviews are featured: Habib Nahdi’s review of Death between Society and Culture by Ahmed Zeineldin; and Othmane Leguachmi’s review of The Sacred between the Symbol and the Sword by Noureddine Zahi. The issue ends with five previews of recent publications, prepared by the editorial board.