Anthropology in Jordan. A new phenomenon in the twentieth century?

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Autor/in	Gharibeh, Osama Tayel Hasan
Titel	Anthropology in Jordan. A new phenomenon in the twentieth century? Gefälligkeitsübersetzung: Anthropologie in Jordanien. Ein neues Phänomen im zwanzigsten Jahrhundert?
Quelle	Aachen: Shaker (2009), XI, 197 S.Verfügbarkeit
Reihe	Berichte aus der Ethnologie
Zusatzinformation	Inhaltsverzeichnis
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; Monographie
ISBN	978-3-8322-8756-6
Schlagwörter	Gesellschaft; Anthropologie; Institutionalisierung; Darwinismus; Geschichte (Histor); Entwicklungsland; Regierung; Transformation; Tribalismus; Verfassung; Religion; Wissenschaft; Archäologie; Hochschule; Entwicklung; Hochschulschrift; Arabische Staaten; Asien; Jordanien; Naher Osten
Abstract	"The purpose of this study is twofold: to outline the most prominent of the problems facing anthropology in the Arab-Islamic countries (Middle East in particular) and to suggest a solution for them by exploring the development of anthropology in Jordan as an example from within the region. Colonialism, Darwinism, Orientalism, and the nse of an Arabic and Islamic anthropology have been widely seen as obstacles to flourish anthropology in this region. Several scholarly works have rightfully treated these issues, but my concern here is to analyze the emergence of anthropology as a scientific field in Jordan, where in 1984 an Institute of Archeology and Anthropology was established at YU of Irbid to teach Social-cultural Anthropology at the graduate level. What distinguishes this Institute, however, is the manner in which Physical Anthropology M.A. program is taught there since 1990. It is no secret that evolution theory is part of physical anthropology and that neither evolution theory nor physical anthropology are favorable subjects to be integrated into the higher educational systems of the Arab world. Therefore, it is reasonable to ask for the vanous factors (political, economical, social - religious as well as educational) which enabled such a process and acceptance in Jordan. Unked to the analysis and comment an these factors is the hope that the Jordanian experiment might become a paradigm for other Arab and Muslim countries, and thereby eventually pave the way for the institutionalization of anthropology in the region. The basis of this investigation is a representative corpus of pnmary (archival sources, official reports, documents, and statistics) and secondary sources (books, articles, newspapers, and websites). The study adopts the historical context, analytical and interpretative method to approach the variables which helped the academic circies in Jordan to better integrate the field of anthropology in its higher educational system. This study is divided into live chapters. The first chapter covers the greatest difficulties with respect to anthropology in the Middle East, as well as the needs of this study and its methodology. Jordan in the historical and ethnographic context forms the subject matter of the second chapter. Other topics dealt with in this chapter are: (a) the transformation of Transjordan's nomadic society into a relatively modern one; (b) Jordan in transition and the concept of sedentarization, and (c) the current anthropological studies about the social structure in settled communities. The third chapter briefly outlines the history of modern Jordan (1921-2005), its people and society, and notably the development of education and archeology in Jordan. How the educational system and archaeological research in Jordan contributed to the emergence of anthropology in this country is also discussed in this chapter. The fourth chapter will answer the following questions: What are the main features of anthropology in Jordan? What does 'better understanding of anthropology' mean? Why does Physical Anthropology lag behind in Arab universities? The last chapter will sum up the results of the thesis and includes recommendations for the future. The study reaches the conclusion that a promising indigenous anthropology should take into consideration the historical context of the emergence of both, Western and Islamic/ Arabic anthropology. This 'contextualization' will provide the basis of a critical assessment and positive comparison of both concepts. A further conclusion confirms that the Jordanian experiment with anthropology differs from former anthropological studies not so much with respect to the selected research topics, but in the way, the field studies are organized and practiced." (author's abtract).
Erfasst von	GESIS - Leibniz-Institut für Sozialwissenschaften, Mannheim
Update	2011/1