Surfacing Zarqa: heritage, space and youth in Jordan’s industrial heartland

The project examines how providing research training to refugee and marginalised young people living in Zarqa, to pursue historical and geographical research of the city, can support young people in re-imagining the city’s spatial and cultural identity. Utilising a participatory historical geography methodology, young people will explore the urban histories and contemporary realities of Zarqa and its residents, co-creating a rich cultural archive which celebrates the heritage of the city. Their research will underpin the development of a multi-modal public space of belonging for underserved young people and their broader communities, encouraging engagement and dialogue with their social and political futures through Jordanian indigenous cultural exchange events (taleeleh).

Principal Investigator: Dr Sarah Linn, Manchester Metropolitan University