(De)constructing Nationalist Imagery: Jordanian Cinema in Times of Crisis

Abstract

A questioning of national narratives, internal economic struggles and external existential threats have all worked to characterize the current moment in Jordan as one of tension and instability, marked by price hikes, protests and refugee crises. Over the past decade, an emergent cinema industry has served as one means by which these struggles have been chronicled, centring national attention on the diverse communities and economic struggles within Amman in films such as When Monaliza Smiled. Conversely, 50 years earlier, the first Jordanian film, Struggle in Jerash, responded to another period of crisis in Jordanian history by attempting to assert a nationalist narrative in defence of the Hashemite Kingdom’s East Bank identity under King Hussein. By comparing Struggle in Jerash and When Monaliza Smiled, this article will demonstrate how films from two periods of crisis responded to challenges to national narratives in opposite ways, with Struggle in Jerash working to help construct East Bank Jordanian nationalism, and When Monaliza Smiled attempting to deconstruct the narrative. These two films will also be shown to be microcosms of the struggle over national narratives from their respective eras.