Monarchies of Extraction

Christian Henderson's Monarchies of Extraction examines the Gulf states' role within the global food system, arguing they operate as 'inverted farms' that import prodigious quantities of agricultural commodities to compensate for limited arable land.

The book traces agrarian change from pre-oil smallholder systems to 20th-century state-led agribusiness and the consolidation of Gulf agribusiness capital.

Henderson analyzes food security as a discursive and biopolitical logic that legitimizes investment and frames private and state strategies, including overseas land acquisitions and value-chain insertion.

Case studies include Saudi and Emirati agribusiness development, Gulf investment in Egypt and Africa, and the political uses of consumption and boycott.

Overall, the book foregrounds the Gulf as integrated, capitalist actors shaping unequal ecological and economic relations across regions.