The Poetics of Revolution: Cultures, Practices, and Politics of Anti-Colonialism in Iraq, 1932-1960

[摘要] This dissertation uses Iraqi poetry, memoirs, and newspapers alongside British and American archival documents to analyze the cultural dynamics of popular opposition to foreign political, economic, and cultural hegemony in the post-mandatory state. It argues that the varied instances of political, social, and cultural revolution during this period were rooted in a fundamental commitment to anti-colonialism and national liberation and illustrates the historical contingency of ideological conflict and sectarian commitments in nationalist narratives used by scholars to classify and categorize revolutionary movements as fragmentary expressions of local grievances and demonstrate the global dimensions of these revolutionary currents. By shifting attention from the domain of elite politics and the ideological debates of isolated intellectual circles toward the cultural arena of popular political poetry and the social dimensions of tribal disintegration, urban migration, and capitalist dislocation, the dissertation shows how popular poets appealed to diverse populations of peasants, workers, and students and helped to mobilize popular movements that transcended sectarian and class conflicts.The dissertation shows that the Iraqi public overwhelmingly refused to consider colonialism as part of the historical past as long as power remained in the hands of foreign officials and the old colonial elite and virtually all revolutionary currents in this period were aimed at eradicating the vestiges of colonialism. It illustrates the ways in which social change and cultural politics contributed to the development of mass politics and the emergence of a public sphere and fundamentally shaped revolutionary anti-colonial movements and challenged competing loyalties to class, sect, and ideology. The dissertation analyzes the social role of popular poetry in shaping national political discourse and mobilizing mass political action and contends that the binary dichotomies of Iraqist and pan-Arabist nationalism or radical and reactionary social ideologies have obscured the national solidarities constructed through public protest and opposition to British and American policies in Iraq and the Arab world. By juxtaposing the testimony of immediate and retrospective historical texts, like poems and memoirs, the dissertation illustrates the extent to which these ideological narratives were applied retroactively to justify post-revolutionary political agendas.

[发布机构] University of Michigan

[效力级别] Iraqi Poetry

[关键词] Iraqi History;Iraqi Poetry;Iraqi Anti-Colonialism;Iraqi Nationalism;Iraqi Left;History (General);Middle Eastern;Near Eastern and North African Studies;Humanities;History