On 17th September, CBRL Amman facilitated a workshop at Fann wa Chai Café (which translates to “Art and Tea restaurant “) in Amman, Jordan. The workshop was held for the shortlisted applicants of the “Reconfiguring Heritage: Present Engagements with Communities’ Pasts for Resilient Futures” project.

The workshop was led by Dr. Sofya Shahab, a Research Fellow at the Institute of Development Studies (IDS), University of Sussex, and Mary Abounabhan, a Research Officer at IDS, accompanied by Firas Bqa’in, CBRL Amman’s Operations Manager and Bara’ah Alshorman, CBRL Events and Communications Officer. 

Candidates were encouraged to shape the project according to their own insights and experiences; exploring how heritage is experienced and how it might be used to connect diverse communities. They also reflected on their own engagement with heritage, documenting the emotional and physical responses it evokes. 

After the workshop, three researchers were selected from the shortlist. The researchers will be participating in research design, thematic analysis, organizing participatory workshops, and producing publications and creative works over the next 3.5 years. Training and support will enable researchers to fully engage with the process, from analyzing data to communicating the findings.  

The Reconfiguring Heritage project is led by the Institute of Development Studies (IDS) in partnership with CBRL, Ettijahat – Independent Culture in Syria, and the University of Duhok in Northern Iraq and KRI. The project explores how heritage can contribute to resilience and peace in the Middle East. This UKRI-funded initiative specifically examines how young people engage with heritage through activities like festivals, visiting historical sites, and making traditional crafts. It seeks to understand heritage’s emotional and physical impacts, as well as its role in fostering peace and trust.