THE DIALECTIC DIMENSIONS OF HOMES AS AN EXPRESSION OF IDENTITY AND COMMUNALITY IN AMMAN, JORDAN

This paper presents a conceptual framework for analysing sociopsycholo gical features of homes and home territories. Homes from the urban cul ture of Amman, the capital of Jordan, are described in terms of two di alectic dimensions: (1) identity-communality, that is, the degree to w hich homes display the uniqueness or distinctiveness of people from on e another and also the degree to which they display the bonds between residents and their community and culture; (2) openness/closedness, th at is, the degree to which homes portray how residents are open and ac cessible and also how they are closed and out of contact with others. The fabricated environment, according to this research, is a means by which the prevailing socio-cultural system is maintained. At the same rime, it is acknowledged that important reciprocal relationships exist between the fabricated environment, individuals, and society.