Table Of ContentSPRINGER BRIEFS IN POLITICAL SCIENCE
Lina Edward Khamis
Cultural Policy in
Jordan
System, Process,
and Policy
123
SpringerBriefs in Political Science
More information about this series at http://www.springer.com/series/8871
Lina Edward Khamis
Cultural Policy in Jordan
System, Process, and Policy
Lina Edward Khamis
Bethlehem, Palestinian Territories
ISSN 2191-5466 ISSN 2191-5474 (electronic)
SpringerBriefs in Political Science
ISBN 978-3-319-77579-1 ISBN 978-3-319-77580-7 (eBook)
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-77580-7
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Preface
This study examines the objectives of cultural policy in Jordan, the institutional
framework within which it operates, and its outcomes. It considers the principles
and methods of cultural policy, evaluates cultural attitudes and values, and places
Jordan’s institutional and administrative structures and management, planning, leg-
islation, and public institutions, cultural content in education and the media, and
international cultural co-operation within their social, economic and historical per-
spective. Theories of culture, political culture, modernisation, and development
theory are utilised in discussing problems of cultural policy, particularly those of an
institutional, administrative and financial nature, and their assumed outcomes. It is
concluded that the Jordanian State determines its policy according to its conception
of culture, its socio-economic system, and its political ideology.
The evolution of cultural development in Jordan is examined from 1921 to the
political and economic reforms of 1992, and government policy towards cultural
institutions, particularly in the education and information sectors, is analysed.
As new forms of culture emerge and as important economic and political devel-
opments occur, Jordan faces major changes. The cultural aspect of development lies
essentially in planned change, a moral process that brings about a basic transforma-
tion in people’s social, economic and political life. The cultural system of the soci-
ety obviously cannot be changed by statute, decree or circular any more than by
simple declarations of new principles. Culture, education and information institu-
tions have therefore to be redefined, repositioned and remodelled, and decisions
guiding cultural development towards new objectives have to be reconciled. Despite
its significance in Jordan’s social, political, and economic development, cultural
policy has been largely overlooked. Any future cultural policies must eventually
arrive at a broad set of conclusions on strategic variables that will as far as possible
meet the varied social, political and economic obligations that have to be
accommodated.
v
Introduction
This book is the first to consider the impact of cultural policy on development in
Jordan, from the 1921–1992. This is achieved by examining the historical develop-
ment of the country and analysing, as far as appropriate, the role of cultural policy
in socio-economic change. The analysis includes the cultural impact on socio-
economic and political development in Jordan. The objectives of cultural develop-
ment are taken from government texts, and from the speeches of those responsible
for decisions in the cultural field. When evaluating cultural policy, account is taken
of the human factor, of changes in the system of values, and of methods of acquisi-
tion and transmission of information. The information and education systems are
also examined.
Jordan shares with other Arab countries its history, language, religion, culture
and civilisation. Despite this relative homogeneity, its government, population and
life style all vary from those of the other countries. Politically it is one of the few
monarchies left in the Arab World. However, unlike Saudi Arabia, Jordan has devel-
oped from a political system that drew its strength from its Bedouin-style system in
its evolution into a parliamentary system. Arab societies are rural, many are still
tribal, and all are characterised by strong religious feelings and beliefs, which per-
meate all aspects of social life. There is however, a trend towards urbanisation, and
a high percentage of population growth.
Economically, the Arab region varies from rich to the very poor. In spite of these
differences, Jordan has a close ties with the regional economies; it exports more than
third of its labour force to the oil-rich Arab states. It also shares with most Arab coun-
tries unemployment, inflation and foreign debt, and dependency on foreign countries
both in terms of consumption and investment. In this respect Jordan displays the
characteristics of other developing countries, such as low technological develop-
ment, poorly-developed public policy, and a highly-centralised governmental struc-
ture. However, like the rest of the world, it has benefited from the rapid advancement
in the fields of communication and science and technology. This has facilitated the
transfer of information and knowledge on many different subjects. This process of
globalisation tends towards the standardising of products and the internationalising
of messages. Culture does not live in isolation any more. There is widespread con-
vii
viii Introduction
cern to preserve indigenous cultures, as they became increasingly open to other cul-
tures. There are questions of what is acceptable without being subject to cultural
domination; globalisation is thus seen as a threat to indigenous cultures.
Rapid changes are taking place in all aspects of Jordanian life, economically,
socially and politically. All these changes are being brought about while the cultural
transformation is in the process of taking place. In recent years the established eco-
nomic, political and social order has been persistently questioned. There has been
much debate about economic growth, foreign policy, civic society and national
identity. Current studies reflect uncertainty and a wide range of opinions. They
focus on theories and doctrines concerning civic society, political culture, and
development. Earlier generalisations that predicted the continuation of a hierarchi-
cal value system have been steadily undermined. To understand the impact of these
changes in Jordan it is necessary to examine the development of cultural policy
within the context of Jordan’s historical, social, economic and political develop-
ment. The primary purpose of this study is to shed light on the impact that these
changes have had on cultural policy.
The government has for a long time maintained a delicate and sometimes uneasy
balance between Jordanian identity and a wider vision of Arab identity. New reali-
ties in the Arab world, such as the cessation of Arab assistance, the closure of Gulf
markets, and the Gulf War, have undermined the firmly embedded beliefs at the
heart of the nation. Many intellectuals have been turning to questions about Jordanian
cultural identity. There are many discussions about who is Jordanian and who is not?
After decade of a state-controlled information system, Jordan is facing an intense
and diverse range of messages through the evolution and diffusion of modern tech-
nologies. This has produced new sources of knowledge, over which the state has no
control and which have begun to have a marked impact on the population. The
government is no longer in a position to control the political culture, economic
forces, cultural expression, and intellectual ideas of the people.
With the peace process, new frontiers have opened, paving the way for a different
cultural interaction. Jordanian people expect to deal with Israeli tourists, with whom
they did not interact before. This interaction could either be an instrument of dia-
logue and a prime vehicle for peaceful contact between the two peoples, or it could
be a source of conflict, even violence. There are many concerns among the people,
revealed in the media, and in everyday discussions, about the country’s future. The
question is whether the country in its present form can survive, especially when it
comes in to contact with other stronger cultures that are backed by powerful tech-
nology and with greater political and economic power.
Regarding the economy, there is a transition to a market economy. The country
is expecting a flourishing tourist industry and a large inflow of financial resources
from foreign countries, and there are new development projects that are expected to
create an important source of income and job opportunities for the people. In the
past these projects left behind only a technical investment with little added value.
Many development projects failed because the materials, the decisions, the
techniques and the consultants were provided by the donor countries. The Jordanian
people were not sufficiently involved and they were left without any practical know-
Introduction ix
how. The question is, can Jordan’s cultural policy help to develop the economy and
cope with technological change? In particular, is traditional culture a hindrance?
With political unrest on the rise in the south of the country in 1989, Jordan had in
a very short period to adopt democratic reforms. Into the 1990s, the Gulf War and
then the Arab/Israeli peace accord, are the new realities that have resulted in new
international obligations, new political alliances, and a collapse of the old certainties
and past ideologies. The values and circumstances with which the Jordanians have
long been familiar, such as Pan-Arabism, the Palestinian question, the Jordanian/
Palestinian relationship, the Israeli/Jordanian relationship, and anti-Z ionist slogans
have been only temporarily obscured by these new realities. Paradoxically, a set of
new ideas has emerged which denies any ideological framework and has led the
country into an ideological lethargy. These changes have important implications for
cultural policy and they need to be borne in mind in considering its development and
implementation. It is important for Jordan to re-e valuate and reconsider its cultural
policy to meet with the new regional and world development.
Theoretical Considerations The theoretical background of the book is based on
theories of culture which are intended to demonstrate that there is a crucial relation-
ship between the human being and his culture. Culture can play a major role in
using human resources to bring about changes in the society, economy, and politics
of a country. Culture and development are in a permanent mutual relationship with
one another, and in order to achieve substantial results in the economic, political,
and social environment, changes have to be implemented simultaneously in educa-
tional, information and cultural policy.
Political socialisation theory suggests that culture is not instinctive but that it is the
complexity of learned values formulated from human experience. Culture plays a
crucial part in societal change; it may act as an agent of change, adapting to the
demands of change and facilitating change, or it may act as a barrier to change, resist-
ing the demands of change and making it more difficult to bring about. In the latter
case, this is particularly true of traditional culture, which is sometimes highly resistant
to societal change. The book therefore argues that cultural development is an integral
part of social development. Culture, political culture, political socialisation and mod-
ernisation, and development theory are all involved in the analysis of cultural policy.
The theme of the book centres round the argument that social, economic and
political developments in Jordan are closely interconnected with cultural develop-
ment. Thus, the government uses cultural policy to accustom the population to new
values, values that are necessary to bring about the social changes it seeks to imple-
ment. However, any cultural development that results from the impersonal forces of
new cultural activities and from communication and scientific development, may
have an impact on indigenous cultural values, which might in turn influence the
cultural transformation in a direction that follows different patterns from the
development pattern of the country. In order to avoid such developments, govern-
ments seek to socialise the population through the educational and informational
systems. Thus it is through schools and the media that the population may become
convinced of the need for change.
x Introduction
As will be seen in due course, in the case of Jordan government intervention is
essential and generally accepted fact of life. The Jordanian government is the most
potent initiating and controlling force in the development process, and the economy,
industry, education, the media, and cultural heritage have become largely the
responsibility of the State.
The book focuses on cultural development in Jordan resulting from the national
cultural policies, the defined objectives and targets set out in that policy, and its rela-
tion to overall development. The main purpose is to investigate whether there is any
commitment by the state and a clear expression of its political will to develop human
resources, which are subjected to two culturally significant imperatives, participa-
tion and planning. The study assesses the side effects of the policy, both intentional
and unintentional, conscious and unconscious, and considers which policy instru-
ments have achieved these goals.
What has been the impact of cultural policy on the local population’s cultural
practices and experience? What significant differences are there between the objec-
tives of cultural policy and its results? How far does the local population have a say
in the choices made and the activities carried out? What is the significance of this to
the development of the country as a whole?
Methodological Considerations Evaluating cultural policy is a complex process.
External variables are numerous, influential, and often difficult to isolate. It will be
seen in due course that the rate of cultural change varies according to internal and
external factors. Cultural outcomes that evolved from the policy are sometimes dif-
ficult to identify.
The emphasis is on qualitative techniques because of the difficulty of securing
reliable statistical data. Cultural statistics are either scarce or, if available, are com-
piled by different departments using different methods and definitions of cultural
phenomena. Therefore, speeches of public officials and public document are used.
There is also an emphasis on observational techniques, i.e., meeting and talking to
a wide variety of Jordanian individuals. Other means of gathering information
included, in addition, visiting ministries related to cultural affairs, attending most of
the cultural activities that were held in the country during the years 1989–1995,
holding interviews and discussions with intellectuals and decision makers, noting
current issues discussed in the media, and attending relevant governmental and non-
governmental meetings, conferences, seminars and debates on culture and other
related subjects, such as education and information. The objectives of cultural pol-
icy are not always spelt out clearly by these sources, and have therefore to be dis-
tilled from them; in some areas, access to sources was difficult.
The geographical, historical, economic, social, political and cultural develop-
ment of Jordan provides a crucial context for the study. The political system, which
provides the legal and institutional framework for cultural policy, is examined, with
particular attention being paid to those government measures directly affecting cul-
tural policy in fields such as education and the information services. Attention is
also given to other factors, such as economic and social policy.
