Fuzzy nationalism: The case of Jordan

This article, on the basis of a case-study of Jordan, argues that engaging in the construction of collective identity is a much more complex task than dealing with the relationship between a territorial or pan-nationalism as either a binary apposite or as synthetic dualism. In Jordan, the construction of nationalism is deliberately fuzzy and eclectic due to security concerns. Jordan's eclectic collective identity, based on four often discordant elements - lineage and family, usually advanced by the monarchy; civic identity, promoted by both society and the monarch; the (pan)-Arab identity; and religion - deals with inner tensions facing the integrity of the Jordanian state and society.