The Oman Research Network is a collaborative initiative among scholars based at Goethe University Frankfurt and JGU Mainz that fosters transdisciplinary exchange and the development of joint research projects on questions of mobility and belonging in Oman. The disciplines involved are Archaeobotany, Anthropology, Geosciences (Palaeontology), Human Geography, as well as Near Eastern Archaeology. The aim of the research network is to create long-term structures that link the variety of already existing individual research projects on Oman within the RMU alliance and increase their international visibility.

Thematically, the research network currently focuses on the study of different forms of mobility in past and present Oman and their effects on processes of identity formation, nation-building and belonging. A special emphasis is put on socio-cultural markers of identity and belonging as they can be grasped through domains such as language practices, the abandonment of settled life, or technology transfer. At JGU Mainz the research network also directly relates to the Indian Ocean Research Group at the Centre for Intercultural Studies (ZIS).

Current members of the research network include:

• Prof. Dr Veronika Cummings (Human Geography, JGU)
• PD Dr Stephanie Döpper (Near Eastern Archaeology, Goethe University Frankfurt)
• Jun.-Prof. Dr Franziska Fay (Anthropology, JGU)
• Dr Maria Pia Maiorano (Near Eastern Archaeology, GU Frankfurt)
• Dr Lucas Proctor (Archaeobotany, GU Frankfurt)
• Dr Katharina Schmitt (Geosciences (Palaeontology) JGU)
• Prof. Dr Julia Verne (Cultural Geography, JGU)