Assyrians in Modern Iraq
Negotiating Political and Cultural Space
£29.99
- Author: Alda Benjamen, University of California, Berkeley
- Date Published: July 2024
- availability: Available
- format: Paperback
- isbn: 9781108972345
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Examining the relationship between a strengthened Iraqi state under the BaĘżth regime and the Assyrians, a Christian ethno-religious group, Alda Benjamen studies the role of minorities in twentieth-century Iraqi political and cultural history. Relying on extensive research in Iraq, including sources uncovered at the Iraqi National Archives in Baghdad, as well as in libraries and private collections in Erbil, Duhok, and Mosul, in Arabic and modern Aramaic, Benjamen foregrounds the Iraqi periphery as well as the history of bilingualism to challenge the monolingual narrative of the state. By exploring the role of Assyrians in Iraq's leftist and oppositional movements, including gendered representations of women, she demonstrates how, within newly politicized urban spaces, minorities became attracted to intellectual and political movements that allowed them to advance their own concerns while engaging with other Iraqis of their socio-economic background and relying on transnational community networks. Assyrian intellectuals not only negotiated but also resisted government policies through their cultural production, thereby achieving a softening of BaĘżthist policies towards the Assyrians that differed markedly from those of later repressive eras.
Read more- Introduces new sources and bilingual voices for a nuanced and focused historical reading of Iraqi history and the Assyrian community
- Based on multi-disciplinary sources including oral history, archival data and ethnographic data including images and music
- Of interest to scholars and students of Middle East Studies, Iraqi Studies, Minority Studies, Religious Studies, Transnationalism, and Ethnic Studies
Reviews & endorsements
'Benjamen's timely book offers an original, extensive, and meticulously researched exploration of Assyrian history during a critical period of the twentieth century. Benjamen not only locates Assyrian experiences within Iraq's social, political, and cultural context but also considers their essential place within the study of minorities and Christians in the Middle East. Assyrians in Modern Iraq is a much-needed study that will surely set the tone for future examinations of an understudied topic.' Febe Armanios, Middlebury College
See more reviews'With courageous, ethically grounded research, Benjamen reorients Iraq's history around transnational indigenous activists who are usually treated as marginal. She corrects many misconceptions about Assyrians in the process. Assyrians in Modern Iraq is essential reading.' Arbella Bet-Shlimon, University of Washington
'In a persuasive, well-researched, clearly written synthesis, Benjamen offers an objective and detailed study. Placing Assyrians within the historic context of the Iraqi state and the cultural mosaic of modern Iraqi history and politics, her book represents a welcome addition to the literature, and fills an important void.' Tareq Ismael, University of Calgary
'Benjamen's groundbreaking study examines Assyrians as Iraqis, Christians, and political activists who moved within regional, national, and international networks. Historians of the Middle East will appreciate her nuanced appraisal of pluralism and diversity, which draws attention to the small towns and landscapes of northern Iraq.' Heather J. Sharkey, University of Pennsylvania
'Assyrians in Modern Iraq marks a critical contribution to the study of Iraqi history, not the least because the author refuses to fall into the trap of easy narratives of victimization and primordialism about Assyrian nationalism … an informative and engaging account of an important community whose role in Iraqi history has been marginalized.' Dina Rizk Khoury, Journal of Contemporary Iraq & the Arab World
'A must read to learn about the Assyrian community under the Iraqi state.' Joel Wing, Musings On Iraq blog
'This important intervention enriches Iraq's provincial history by offering multileveled approaches that esteem not only rural-urban migration but also urban-rural mobilities and regionalism, and in doing so, Benjamen reorients the history of ethnoreligious communities beyond marginalization.' Sara Farhan, International Journal of Middle East Studies
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×Product details
- Date Published: July 2024
- format: Paperback
- isbn: 9781108972345
- length: 290 pages
- dimensions: 229 x 152 x 15 mm
- weight: 0.395kg
- availability: Available
Table of Contents
Preface
Introduction: Identity, Urbanization, and Citizenzhip
1. Assyrians and the Iraqi Communist Party
2. The Role of Assyrians and Communists in the Kurdish uprising (1961–1975)
3. Between Reconciliation and Repression: BaĘżthist Policies Towards the Assyrians in the 1970s
4. Compliance, Negotiation, Resistance: Assyrian Press and Popular Culture (1970s–1980s)
5. The Re-establishment of the Assyrian Nationalist Political Movement (1970s–1980s)
Conclusion
Appendix 1: Census Data Tables
Appendix 2: The 'Simele' song
Bibliography.
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