Rethinking the Nationhood in the Middle East: Jordan as a case study – First Session
Séminaire organisé dans le cadre du programme « Repenser le national au Moyen-Orient : la Jordanie comme cas d’étude » (NaJor@Mo) de l’Institut Sociétés en Mutation (SoMuM).
Responsables : Taher Labadi, Ifpo, Simon Mangon, Mesopolhis, Norig Neveu, Iremam.
La Jordanie tient depuis une dizaine d’années une place croissante au sein de la recherche sur le Moyen-Orient. Dans un contexte de crises polymorphes, de nombreux jeunes chercheurs choisissent de travailler sur cet espace national avec des perspectives disciplinaires, parfois comparatistes, très différentes. Ce séminaire se donne pour objectif de fédérer une partie de cette recherche autour d’une réflexion commune sur le « fait national jordanien ». Pays « carrefour » au projet national longtemps disputé ou contesté, y compris au sein des études académiques, la Jordanie constitue un observatoire privilégié des mutations en cours dans cette région du monde et des approches mobilisées pour les appréhender. Interroger la question nationale permettra par la même façon de poser en creux la question de la spécificité du terrain jordanien et de la mettre en perspective avec des mécanismes sociaux, économiques et politiques récurrents à l’échelle régionale voire internationale.
Over the past ten years, Jordan has sparked a growing interest in research on the Middle East. Many young researchers choose to work on this national context with very different disciplinary perspectives, sometimes comparative. This seminar aims to federate part of this research around a common reflection on the “Jordanian Nationhood”. We consider Jordan as a case study that reveals both the ongoing changes in this region of the world, and the approaches mobilized by academics to understand them. By interrogating the notion of a “nationhood”, we aim at identifying the specificities of the Jordanian case, and putting it into perspective with recurrent social, economic and political mechanisms at the regional or even international level.
Programme/Program
Session 1 – Tuesday 8th of February, 3.00-5.00 p.m (CET), online. Zoom Link / ID: 860 4217 7612 / Secret code: 761689
“The Nationhood in Jordan: historical approach, critical perspective” with Myriam Catusse (Ifpo) & Norig Neveu (Iremam).
This first session of the NaJor@Mo seminar aims to lay the groundwork for a reflection on the proposed approaches to the national fact in Jordan. How is the Nationhood and its counterpart, the State, understood or considered in the Middle East? In what way does Jordan appear as a particularism or, on the contrary, how does this case study allows to read recurrent dynamics in the region such as the tribal question, the contemporaneity of state constructions, colonial influences, etc.?
Session 2 – Tuesday 15th of February, 3.00-5.00 p.m (CET), online. Zoom link / ID: 880 7734 0112 / Secret code : 832426
“Rethinking the Nationhood in the Middle East. Jordan as a case study: access to resources and transformations of the rural world”
Speakers:
Ruba Al Zubi holds a M.Sc. degree in Civil Engineering from Jordan University of Science and Technology and has over 20 years’ experience in the fields of sustainable development and green economy. Currently, she is the country director for the Sahara Forest Project Foundation in Jordan.
Allison Hartnett is an assistant professor of Political Science and International Relations at the University of Southern California. Her research interests encompass comparative political economy, colonial legacies, rural politics, and state formation in the Middle East and North Africa.
Moderators: Myriam Fayad (ULB), Livia Perosino (IFPO, LAM), Taysir Mathlouthi (Sciences Po Paris)
Description: During this session, we will investigate past and present transformations of the rural world in Jordan. In particular, we will discuss the challenges related to accessing agricultural land and water, in a context marked by desertification and a critical level of water scarcity. We will also explore rural livelihoods and labor, especially in relation to important social, political and economic challenges. This conversation will open up spaces to critically discuss the future of resources and the role of the rural world in present and future Jordan.
Session 3 – 15 March 2022
Session 4 – 19 April 2022
Session 5 – 17 May 2022
Session 6 – 14 June 2022
