The Making of Iraq, 1900-1963: Capital, Power, and Ideology (S U N Y Series in the Social and Economic History of the Middle East) (Social & Economic History of the Middle East) [Paperback]

Samira Haj (Author)

Book Description

Series: Social & Economic History of the Middle East | Publication Date: July 16, 2010

This book's innovative approach makes it an important intervention into the field of modern Iraqi and Arab history. Samira Haj's discussion of the factors that led to, and paradoxically caused the failure of, the 1958 revolution in Iraq forms the framework for her critique of conventional Eurocentric notions of nationalism, revolution, and modernity. Haj explains the pervasive violence of Iraq's political scene not by invoking ageless images of sectarian strife and irrational bloodlust but by showing that the violent political battles of the 1950s and 1960s were the result of fundamental changes in the system of ownership and agricultural production during the nineteenth century. Furthermore, she shows that the national government's smashing of the popular movement and the dismantling of its various grassroots organizations in 1963 signified the beginning of the end of participatory politics in Iraq.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Samira Haj is Assistant Professor in the Department of Middle Eastern Studies at New York University.

Product Details

• Paperback: 230 pages
• Publisher: State University of New York Press; Text is Free of Markings edition (July 16, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0791432424
• ISBN-13: 978-0791432426
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 5.9 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,404,431 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Essential history of the Iraqi predicament, September 3, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Making of Iraq, 1900-1963: Capital, Power, and Ideology (S U N Y Series in the Social and Economic History of the Middle East) (Social & Economic History of the Middle East) (Paperback)

This author has succeeded in explaining and elucidating a very difficult and prickly subject in an eloquent and easy flowing manner. She states the facts simply and honestly and has produced a book that was difficult to put down. The text read smoothly unimpeded by the difficult Arabic names cleverly gathered in the notes at the end. On the other hand these notes will be an absolute delight for readers familiar with the names or even the people themselves. I spent a long lime leafing through these notes and remembering a great deal. I am most indebted to the author for educating and enlightening me about the most important factors and events that governed my own life. Until reading this book I had been unclear of the intricate details of what had happened then in Iraq. I recommend this book to anyone who would really like to understand the Iraq of today and its beleaguered people. Without understanding Iraq's recent history it would be impossible to even begin to fathom its unfortunate present. Most of all I strongly recommend this book to the Iraqi expatriates. As I was racing through the pages of this book, I was transported back in time and my memory brought alive many of the scenes witnessed as a child growing in revolutionary Iraq. I could almost hear again the chants and slogans that were ringing all over Baghdad and see again the pictures on the television screen of the abhorrent " Peoples Court of Justice". I cannot wait for my son to grow up to read this book.