Call for a new academic partnership and the revival of the History of the Levant conferences
Amman2 min read
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Participants in the seminar "Jordan and Syria: A History of Academic Exchange," held as part of the cultural program of the Amman International Book Fair, called for developing a new strategic and institutional plan for academic cooperation between Jordanian and Syrian universities, reviving the History of the Levant conferences, and activating twinning between educational institutions in both countries.
The seminar, which featured Senator and Professor of History Dr. Hind Abu Al-Shaar and Syrian historian Dr. Muhammad Muwaffaq Al-Arnaout, and was moderated by Dr. Musleh Al-Najjar, emphasized the depth of the historical and educational overlap between Jordan and Syria and the role of academic institutions in building a shared cultural and knowledge space.
Abu Al-Shaar pointed to the centuries-long scientific exchange between the two countries, noting the movement of study and teaching between the people of Jordan and Damascus and the role played by Syrian academics in establishing history departments in Jordanian universities, stressing the need to move from individual academic relations to sustainable institutional partnerships and university twinning that keep pace with the era of artificial intelligence and modern technologies.
For his part, Al-Arnaout reviewed his academic experience between Syria and Jordan, pointing to the geographical and social extension between Hauran and northern Jordan and how it transformed from human interaction into academic cooperation.
He called for the revival of the History of the Levant conferences, proposing a joint research project on endowments (Waqf) in the Levant, as it is a subject that transcends political borders.
In turn, Al-Najjar emphasized the importance of the role played by Damascus University professors in establishing academic life in Jordanian universities, calling for framing relations between universities through agreements, joint programs, and actual twinning that establishes sustainable cultural and academic exchange.
