The Dialectical Dimensions of Architectural Identity in Heritage Conservation (The Case of Amman)

Abstract

In conventional areas of architectural design, heritage conservation, history and literature, architectural identity is often conceived and represented as a timeless and historically stable entity. This is reflected in particular practices of building design and heritage conservation that view and portray architectural identity in terms of aesthetics or built form, these representations and ideas of architecture portray identity as an immutable and historically continuous subject of knowledge.This paper first offers theoretical framework to maintain the identification of identity, architectural identity, and national identity. It also raises the issue of identity in general and in architecture as a multi- disciplinary concept. This paper deals with the impact of local culture on shaping the architectural identity. Furthermore investigate the transformative nature of architecture and the identity, drawing on cultural, historical concepts of meaning as a theoretical framework which discussed by theorists such as Bourdieu, Foucault and Barthesto.  And also shed light on the architectural identity in the city of Amman reading and analyzing previous studies about Amman’s identity to deduct the main features of architectural styles in Amman and the reason of difficult finding a unified architectural identity.

Keywords: Identity, Architectural identity, Heritage conservation, Culture.