Browsing by Subject "Jordan"
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Item The Arab street : a photographic exploration(2009-12) Cheney, Clifford Sidney; Darling, Dennis Carlyle; Reed, EllisJournalists use the term Arab Street to describe what they often imply is a volatile Arabic public opinion. This photo story travels through four Arab areas or Jordan, Qatar, Israel/Palestine and Egypt in order to show the diversity and complexity of each. The media’s tendency to lump all Arabs into one political block is detrimental to a true sense of cultural understanding that is required for peace.Item Binaries without borders : performing genders in Ghalib Halasa’s “Al-Bish’ah”(2016-05) Hamarneh, Rama; Richmond-Garza, Elizabeth M. (Elizabeth Merle), 1964-; Brustad, KristenJordanian author Ghalib Halasa lived the majority of his adult life in transit, being exiled from many counties to do his political beliefs. This exile, however, provided him with a unique perspective with which to represent Jordanian and Arab culture more generally. His short story,"Al-Bish’ah,” written earlier in his life, critiques traditional gender roles and binaries, as well as traditional practices which determine honour and justice. Through his telling of a traditional ritual through a powerful mother-figure, Halasa distorts local depictions of gender, and instead inscribes a gender fluidity informed by his lifetime in exile, allowing for a closer depiction of society as he sees it. In this report, I will demonstrate the ways in which Halasa deconstructs traditional gender binaries and traditions through close examination of characters’ gender performance, informed by the work of Goffman and Butler. Additionally, I will connect his destabilizing of gender and traditional rituals to his own life and experience, placing the story within the context of his life and Arab culture at large.Item Islamic foundations for effective water management : four case studies(2010-12) Walz, Jonathan David; Eaton, David J.; Sharp, John M.This thesis project addresses Islamic water management by presenting case studies on regional water issues and analyzing the extent to which Muslim-majority states behave in a way consistent with Islamic shariah law. The case studies presented in this thesis address both international cooperation related to the management of trans-boundary water basins (the Nile and Tigris-Euphrates River Basins) and domestic water management strategies employed by Muslim-majority states in the MENA region (Jordan and Yemen). In each case, it is not clear that there is consistency between the Islamic ideals discussed by academics and the actual techniques employed by various states. In international attempts at managing the shared waters of the Nile and Tigris-Euphrates Basins, the fact that many riparian states have Muslim-majority populations does not appear to make the management of trans-boundary resources any easier or more successful. The implications for Islamic water management at the domestic level is also unclear – with shariah playing a positive role in Jordanian attempts at water conservation but promoting the over-exploitation of resources in Yemen. Although shariah appears to play a limited role in the management of trans-boundary water resources, it seems to be better suited for informing how states internally manage their endowments of freshwater resources.Item Jordanian instability : results of the Syrian civil war and implications for US foreign policy(2015-05) Martin, Wesley Patrick; Jensen, Robert, 1958-; Wilkins, KarinJordan's proximity to neighboring conflicts in Iraq and Syria exacerbates existing social, economic and political tensions within the country already existent between its majority Palestinian diaspora population and its disproportionately ethnic Jordanian government. The country is reliant on foreign aid and patronage to address the immediate concerns of its refugee and majority poor populations, although no short-term monetary solution can directly address its inadequate social and physical infrastructure. Although the U.S. has taken a greater role, both economically and militarily in Jordanian affairs, little has been accomplished to resolve the country's long-term stability concerns. While the resolution of neighboring conflicts in Iraq and Syria would ease Jordan's immediate refugee crisis, persistent high unemployment and a lack of educational opportunities for the country's youth demographic, the regime's monopoly of political power, a deeply entrenched system of corruption and the scarcity of water and energy sources, all pose threats to the major non-NATO ally's stability.Item Olive oil, salt and pepper, onions, tea, bread, and sometimes tomatoes : economic conditions among Iraqi refugee women living in urban areas of Jordan(2010-08) Arar, Rawan Mazen; Busch-Armendariz, Noël Bridget; Schiesari, NancyThis study explores economic conditions among Iraqi refugee women living in urban areas of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan through open-ended interviews. The research aims to address coping mechanisms Iraqi refugee women use to adapt to their financial situation. The goal is to review the proactive efforts women make to turn family units from traditional consumers (buying goods) to producers (making goods) in order to find financial stability. The study incorporates three overarching themes: First, it establishes Iraqi refugee women’s financial status by surveying economic security and employment opportunities. Second, the study investigates how living in urban areas of Jordan affects Iraqi women’s economic status. Thirdly, the study explores how Iraqi refugee women approach their financial situation. How have Iraqi women taken steps to exercise control over their financial lives and improve their economic situation as refugees? The objective of this project is to promote women’s empowerment by creating an open dialogue about Iraqi women’s struggles and to highlight the steps that women take to improve their situation. The study suggests steps that can be taken to aid Iraqi refugees.Item The political impact of Islamic banking in Jordan(2011-08) Malley, Mohammed Mathew; Henry, Clement M., 1937-; Higley, John; Boone, Catherine; McDonald, Patrick; El-Gamal, MahmoudThis dissertation examines Islamic banking in Jordan. It is argued that institutions perceived as culturally authentic may play important political roles in a post-colonial society. Islamic banking in particular can both function in a modern, globalized economy and express cultural tradition. It may help to legitimate Jordan’s political structures and overcome social and economic bifurcations between traditional and modern sectors of society. Jordan is a part of a region of the world in which the colonial experience continues to have an enduring legacy. What had previously been a tribal Bedouin society was transformed almost overnight. Its modern banking system transgressed Islamic norms and laws and excluded huge portions of the population who continued to see meaning in the religious values and principles rooted in the social and cultural institutions that had just been trampled upon. This dissertation looks into how Islamic banks that interact in a global economy while remaining true to culturally authentic beliefs and practices can begin to close the gaps between state practice and popular beliefs. The strongest opposition to the monarchy in Jordan has come from political Islamists who feed upon popular discontent and alienation caused by the practices and actions of a ruling elite that does not share the same cultural values as the majority of the population. Much of what the Islamists espouse, while culturally authentic, is removed from the political, financial, and economic realities of the modern era. Islamic banking thus has the potential to play a mediating role between a modernizing elite and this Islamist backlash. This dissertation will test the extent to which cultural authenticity matters by observing how Islamic banks in Jordan have been able to tap into a latent demand for alternative financial practices and how the Islamic financial movement relates to Islamist political movements. Although Islamic banking has not achieved its full potential, the dissertation presents strong evidence of its capacity to bridge divisions between state and society.