Assyrians in Modern Iraq: Negotiating Political and Cultural Space

Alda Benjamen's research examines the role of minorities in twentieth-century Iraqi political and cultural history,challenging the monolingual narrative of the state and highlighting the history of bilingualism. She demonstrates how Assyrians became involved in leftist and oppositional movements,negotiated with the government,and resisted policies through cultural production,softening Baʿthist policies towards the Assyrians.

Format: Hardback
Length: 272 pages
Publication date: 03 February 2022
Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Alda Benjamen delves into the intricate relationship between the Baʿth regime and the Assyrian,a Christian ethno-religious group,in her comprehensive study of the role of minorities in twentieth-century Iraqi political and cultural history. Drawing upon extensive research conducted in Iraq, including sources unearthed 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 forefronts the Iraqi periphery and the history of bilingualism to challenge the monolingual narrative of the state. By examining the involvement of Assyrians in Iraq's leftist and oppositional movements, including gendered representations of women, she showcases how minorities within newly politicized urban spaces were drawn to intellectual and political movements that enabled them to advance their own concerns while engaging with other Iraqis from their socio-economic background and leveraging transnational community networks. Assyrian intellectuals not only negotiated but also resisted government policies through their cultural production, thereby achieving a softening of Baʿthist policies towards the Assyrians that stood in stark contrast to the repressive eras that followed.

Alda Benjamen's research sheds light on the complex relationship between the Baʿth regime and the Assyrian, a Christian ethno-religious group, in twentieth-century Iraqi political and cultural history. By conducting extensive research in Iraq, including sources uncovered at the Iraqi National Archives in Baghdad and in libraries and private collections in Erbil, Duhok, and Mosul, in Arabic and modern Aramaic, Benjamen challenges the monolingual narrative of the state by highlighting the Iraqi periphery and the history of bilingualism. Through her exploration of the role of Assyrians in Iraq's leftist and oppositional movements, including gendered representations of women, she demonstrates how minorities within newly politicized urban spaces were attracted to intellectual and political movements that allowed them to advance their own concerns while engaging with other Iraqis from their socio-economic background and leveraging transnational community networks. Assyrian intellectuals not only negotiated but also resisted government policies through their cultural production, achieving a softening of Baʿthist policies towards the Assyrians that differed markedly from those of later repressive eras.

Weight: 614g
Dimension: 236 x 189 x 27 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781108838795