Amman, May 19 — The Abdul Hameed Shoman Cultural Forum hosted a book launch last Monday evening for “Understanding the World: Mutual Stereotypes Between Self and Other” by writer and academic Dr. Zuhair Tawfiq. The event brought together a group of authors, academics, and guests.
The discussion featured Dr. Doaa Khalil Ali, Head of the Philosophy Department at the University of Jordan; Dr. George Al-Far, Professor of Philosophy at the same university; and writer and critic Majdi Mamdouh. Dr. Amani Suleiman, Professor of Literature and Criticism at the University of Petra, moderated the session.
Dr. Doaa Ali focused on the book’s first chapter, explaining that it explores how stereotypes shape relationships between cultures and nations. She noted that people often relate to others through imagined perceptions rather than reality. These perceptions are influenced by religion, politics, conflict, collective memory, folklore, fear, and a sense of superiority. She stressed that understanding the world requires accepting complexity and respecting differences.
Dr. George Al-Far addressed the second chapter, which examines how different civilizations—Arab, Persian–Byzantine, Latin, and Jewish—have imagined “the other.” He described the book as a combination of historical, philosophical, and anthropological analysis that fills an important gap in Arabic scholarship.
He also outlined three major trends in Arab Renaissance thinking about others:
• A traditionalist view shaped by strict religious perspectives
• A liberal view that admired Western progress
• A middle approach seeking balance between tradition and modernity
He added that the book also discusses “Occidentalism,” where Arab thinkers tried to understand Western dominance and asked why other societies advanced more quickly.
Writer Majdi Mamdouh highlighted the book’s discussion of how knowledge about others is formed.
He identified four key sources: travel writing, maps, geography, and anthropology. He explained that travel literature introduced a more observation-based way of understanding others, differing from traditional theoretical approaches. He also pointed out that anthropology was sometimes linked to colonial projects, helping spread biased images of the East as backward and irrational compared to a more “advanced” West.
The book, which won the Sheikh Zayed Book Award (20th edition) in Arts and Critical Studies last April, examines how stereotypes developed in both Arab and Western thought from the Middle Ages to modern times. It explores issues of identity, perception, and the limits of mutual understanding between cultures, showing how these ideas continue to influence politics, culture, and human relationships.
More than just a study, the book aims to analyze how these stereotypes formed over time and the religious, political, and cultural factors behind them. It encourages deeper dialogue about how societies view one another.
At the end of the event, Dr. Tawfiq thanked the speakers and the Shoman Foundation. He said his work seeks to address important intellectual issues with bold and thoughtful ideas. He then signed copies of his book for attendees.
Dr. Zuhair Tawfiq is a Jordanian writer and academic who received his PhD in political science in 2008. He worked as a teacher in the Ministry of Education from 1980 to 2000 and is a member of the Jordanian Writers Association and the Jordanian Philosophical Society. He has published many studies and participated in numerous intellectual and philosophical conferences.