Between Empires and Nation: Memories of the Great War and Iraqi National Identity

Abstract

This article discusses the relationship of World War I (WWI) memory to Iraqi national identity. It argues that from the establishment of the monarchy until the fall of the Hashemite dynasty in 1958, there was no national consensus on what WWI meant for Iraqi identity. The Hashemite kings sought to link the War with the formation of the first modern Iraqi Arab state. For those who oppose Hashemite commemoration of the War, it represents the colonization of Iraq. After the 1958 revolution, WWI was gradually incorporated into the narrative of an anti-imperialist modern state that had struggled for liberation since its founding. The Gulf Wars and the failures of the post-colonial modern state have led to a re-evaluation of this memory.