ABSTRACT
Introduction Upon rst entering the al-Khatwa Secondary School for Girls2 in Bawadi alNaseem, in 2005, seemingly unambiguous national symbols met my eye. e halls were decorated with pictures of King Abdullah II, his father the late King Hussein, and at times his great-grandfather King Abdullah I. Pictures of King Hussein who ruled for over 45 years before his death in 1999 were just as numerous as those of the current King. In the photos, the royal attire varied from Western business suits, to military attire, to more “traditional” dress, namely the male head cover – the hatta and the ‘aqāl – each form of dress conveying a particular image of leadership. e photos of the two kings – father and son – were oen hung together, conveying an image of continuity between the two. Also prominent throughout the school were signs and symbols of King Abdullah’s “Jordan First” campaign, a campaign launched in 2002 whose stated intention was to put Jordan’s priorities rst in a time of escalating regional crises (Greenwood, 2003a, 2003b; Jordan First National Commission, 2002; Ryan, 2004).
