Culture, History and Ideology in the Formation of Ba'thist Iraq,1968-89 [Hardcover]

In this book, an innovative approach to the study of ideology in the Arab world explores how, through culture and the re-interpretation of history, a powerful totalitarian regime has endeavoured to cement internal unity among Iraq's diverse ethnic and religious communities. The book analyzes the ways in which, to imbue its citizens with a common destiny of Arab leadership, this regime has set out to convince the Iraqi people to see themselves as the heirs of all the great civilizations of Mesopotamia.List of Plates - Foreword - Preface - Acknowledgements - List of Abbreviations and Transliteration - The Historical Setting - The Ba'th in Power: The Political and Ideological Setting - Folklore and Mesopotamian Culture - A Passion for Archeology - Mosul's Spring Festivals: Mesopotamian Rites, Contemporary Content - Mesopotamian Symbols in Official Iraq - Art with Local and Mesopotamian Components - Mesopotamian Inspiration in Theatre and Poetry - The Changing Features of the Past: Re-writing History - The Mesopotamian Myth, Pan-Arabism and Islam - The Changing Features of a Vision: Arab Unity from Integration to Confederation - Iraq's Opposition Groups and the Iraqi Entity - Conclusion - Endnotes - Sources - Index