Book Launch: Shifting Grounds: Bedouin Cultural Heritage in Jordan’s Badia

This book launch will feature a discussion between authors Gazua Eluan and Olivia Mason.

Shifting Grounds: Bedouin Cultural Heritage in Jordan’s Badia documents the living traditions, stories, and knowledge of Bedouin communities. Rather than reproducing romanticised or commodified portrayals of Bedouin life and culture, this book highlights and document the lived, intangible, and little-known aspects of Bedouin cultural heritage, including poetry, stories, ecological knowledge, mobility, and the beauty of tattooing.

Through Gazua’s unique photographic eye, and trips across Jordan’s Badia, the book brings to life Bedouin culture and everyday practices that risk disappearing with the passing of older generations. This book is both a record and a celebration of Bedouin cultural heritage, demonstrating its adaptability, resilience, and enduring significance. It seeks to ensure that this heritage is honoured as a living and evolving part of Bedouin identity.

About the Authors

Gazua Elaun
Gazua Elaun was born in London and holds a Master of Business Administration from Al al-Bayt University in Jordan, and a Bachelor of Public Administration from the University of Jordan. She is the first woman in Jordan to specialize in photographing intangible Bedouin heritage, dedicating her career to documenting Bedouin life and its rich culture. Gazua is the author of two books, The Bedouin Beauty of My Grandmother and Falcons of Badia. She has organized and exhibited her photography in numerous events both in Jordan and internationally, focusing on Bedouin identity and advocating for women’s empowerment, and reflecting her deep commitment to social and cultural activism. She lives in Sabha in the northeastern Badia of Jordan. In recognition of her achievements and contributions to culture and heritage, Gazua was awarded the Silver Jubilee Medal by King Abdullah II.

Olivia Mason
Olivia Mason is a Lecturer in Political Geography at Newcastle University. . Her research explores mobility politics, resource colonialism, and Bedouin cultural heritage, and she has published widely in leading geography journals. She has received research funding from the UK’s Economic and Social Research Council, the British Academy, and the Council for British Research in the Levant. Committed to environmental and social justice, her research has focused on the cultural heritage of Bedouin communities. She has engaged with a range of public engagement activities, including submitting evidence to the UN Commission for Human Rights and participating in international climate conferences. She collaborates with several NGOs in Jordan and has produced policy briefs, films, and cultural outputs.

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Host or Publisher Olivia Mason