ABSTRACT
The modern state of Iraq came into being with its demarcation by outside Powers following the First World War. This moment threw into stark relief two characteristics which have prevailed to the present day. On the one hand, there is the diversity of its constituent peoples, that is, the multifarious ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities which live within its territorial boundaries. On the other, its rich cultural heritage has been deployed consistently to imbue its populace with a unified, national sentiment. Iraq has been an often tragic testing ground for the themes of this book: cultural heritage, diversity and human rights. In this chapter, I concentrate on the two (often contradictory) forces which have defined the state of Iraq and the antagonisms and efforts at reconciling them which have marked it since its inception. The centrifugal force of diversity was an inevitable consequence of the emergence of a nation hewed from the remnants of a collapsing empire. The mixing of people and their cultures and religions over vast territories and existing side by side is emblematic of most empires, and the Ottoman Empire in particular. While the empire dissolved, this diversity on the ground often remained unchanged. The territorial boundaries of the new nation state made few concessions to this reality. Instead, individuals and communities which found themselves within its borders were provided with some guarantees designed to ensure their enjoyment of their languages, cultures and religious practices. These minority guarantees were a precursor to contemporary human rights. However, the reality for these groups and their individual members often fell far short of these laws. This motion was counterbalanced by the centripetal force of the new state which strove to engender a cohesive whole within its borders. The
harnessing of a rich cultural heritage was essential to fostering a national identity to unify the populace. Detailed legislation and sanctions for the protection of historic monuments and archaeological sites was a central plank of this effort. The promotion and protection of both the diversity of minority cultures and religions (and related human rights of its practitioners) and the protection of cultural heritage lay largely in the lap of the same entity, the government and officials of the state. The history of Iraq bears witness to the problematic nature of these multiple forces and responsibilities. This chapter considers the twin forces of diversity and the pursuit of national unity as they have been played out in Iraq through the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. It is divided into three parts which follow a chronological line: first, the period from the British mandate to the establishment of the Kingdom of Iraq and the internalization of external norms; second, the period from the Republic to the dictatorship of Saddam Hussein, and the rise of nationalism and socialism during decolonization; and finally, the invasion of Kuwait, the 1990-1991 Gulf War, 2003 coalition invasion and occupation, and post-war reconstruction and transition from occupier to occupied.
