Details

This workshop, organized by the Konrad Adenauer Foundation’s Jordan Office in cooperation with the Nisan Center for Political and Parliamentary Development, reinforces the main goal of this project, which is to establish a Higher Council for Culture and Arts in Jordan. The workshop aims to shed light on the current state of culture in Jordan, the infrastructural challenges it faces, and the country’s need for an inclusive civil democratic cultural discourse that crystallizes a national Jordanian identity which is open to the spirit of the age and fortified against extremist thought and hate speech.

A select group of researchers and academics have been chosen to present four papers, the first of which analyzes the political aspect of the official cultural discourse in the media and in education, and focuses on constitutional rights, democratic principles and human rights. The second paper discusses the social aspect of the Jordanian cultural discourse, and in particular women’s rights and the manner in which women are viewed by society, as well as the Jordanian social structure and public culture.

The third paper focuses on religious discourse, which is of utmost importance as it dominates every aspect of cultural discourse. This paper revolves around the role of the prevalent religious discourse in the spread of extremist values and hate speech. The civil aspect of the cultural discourse is the subject of the fourth paper, which discusses the extent of a culture of citizenship and equality, democratic values and human rights, as well as the rights of religious minorities, ethnic minorities, women, youth and children. The last session will review the workshop’s conclusions and make a number of recommendations for future actions.