Dismantling Baathist Iraq : foreign occupation and cultural destruction
Isakhan, Benjamin 2012, Dismantling Baathist Iraq : foreign occupation and cultural destruction, in Proceedings of the Historical Justice and Memory Conference, [The Conference], Melbourne, Vic.
Attached Files
Name
Description
MIMEType
Size
Downloads
Title
Dismantling Baathist Iraq : foreign occupation and cultural destruction
This paper examines the systematic efforts to dismantle or destroy the symbolic dimension of the Baathist regime in Iraq since 2003. It argues that while the Baath were undeniably cruel and oppressive, they did undertake one of the twentieth century’s most robust attempts to utilise the political power of historical memory to create a unified Iraqi national identity. However, while many have examined the militaristic or bureaucratic dimensions of de-Baathification, no such attempts have been made to examine the destruction of the symbols and monuments of the Baathist state and the consequences it has had for Iraqi national identity. This paper addresses this paucity and concludes that with the symbolic destruction of the Baathist state has come a near complete erosion of the Iraqi brand of nationalism that the Baath had managed to promulgate to varying degrees of success since the late 1960s.
Language
eng
Field of Research
210202 Heritage and Cultural Conservation 160699 Political Science not elsewhere classified
Socio Economic Objective
940203 Political Systems
HERDC Research category
E2 Full written paper - non-refereed / Abstract reviewed
Every reasonable effort has been made to ensure that permission has been obtained for items included in DRO. If you believe that your rights have been infringed by this repository, please contact drosupport@deakin.edu.au.