This thesis sets out to advance our knowledge of Emiratization, a government-backed policy initiative that seeks to promote the employment of Emiratis in both the country’s public and private sectors. The location for this case-study is a public-sector organization tasked with the central remit to design, develop and operate a transport infrastructure project across the United Arab Emirates (UAE). In view of the complexities associated with Emiratization, I will adopt a sociological approach throughout this research inquiry. Thus when “Rethinking Emiratization” is employed in the thesis title, I will be taking into account and drawing upon theoretical frameworks, sociological debates and themes, along with philosophical problems that are best addressed under the domain of the social sciences. Among these are theories of capital (Bourdieu, 1986) complexity theory (Byrne & Callaghan, 2014), and situational learning theory (Lave and Wenger, 1989); structure-agency debates; contemporary themes involving Human Resource Management, modernity, competing rationalities, and the power of identity (Castells,1996). The overall aim of this investigation is to understand how the employment experience of Emiratization is different for Emiratis than it is for expatriates. Its key objective is to use the given theories, in particular, Bourdieu’s theorizations, to examine and understand how different forms of capital become employed by the two categories of staff. The key areas highlighted concern: (1) the integration of Emiratis into the company’s workforce, and (2) how this integration is reconciled in view of their limited technical backgrounds versus the deep skill sets and broad job experience workers require for successful project delivery.