In the Arab Gulf, the majlis — called diwaniya in Kuwait — is a room with cushions along the walls, coffee on offer and an open door. People drop in, talk about the day, argue about ideas and work through problems together. In 2015, UNESCO added the majlis to its list of intangible cultural heritage.
Writing in the Journal of Leadership Studies, Huda Al-Mulhem and colleagues read the majlis as a space for teaching and learning. It gives people the chance to exchange knowledge and practice critical thinking as they solve problems together. Conversations range from everyday events to scholarly questions that matter to the community.
At their best, the authors write, these exchanges become genuine dialogue. Both the gaining of knowledge and the decisions that follow turn into participatory, shared acts.
The format also brings forth servant leaders — people whose thoughts and actions carry meaning for the community around them. The majalis, the plural form, combine two traditions of scholarship: specialized knowledge circulated among a few, and a more popular form that draws in a broad range of people.
In the digital age, many majalis have moved online, reaching far beyond the room. The authors present the majlis as a transparent, impactful form of scholarship for people from all walks of life. It invites us, they write, to rethink the notion of audience and the privileging of text over speech.
Sources
Al-Mulhem, H., et al. (2026). A (class)room for all: A crucible for collaborative learning. Journal of Leadership Studies. https://doi.org/10.1002/jls.70033
Further reading
Abdul-Jabbar, W. K. (2026). Contextualising teacher education curricula in the Arab Gulf States. Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009518383
