Close
Cultural heritage predation in Iraq: The sectarian appropriation of Iraq's past
As part of the Nahrein Network – Chatham House collaboration to explore the future of cultural heritage in Iraq and its role for rebuilding society and reconstruction, we are pleased to present the newly launched research paper, Cultural heritage predation in Iraq: The sectarian appropriation of Iraq's past. This paper examines heritage predation – the destructive exploitation of cultural resources for political purposes – in Iraq, analyses how this has become a prominent feature of the country’s post-2003 political landscape and offers recommendations for how Iraq’s heritage can be better protected.
The paper also explores examples of the negative impact of heritage predation on Iraqi society to date, and makes recommendations for both Iraqi and international institutions to counter the damaging effects of muhasasa and the sectarian allocation of cultural resources.
The report’s authors, Mehiyar Kathem, Eleanor Robson and Lina G. Tahan argue that the country’s elites have appropriated cultural heritage in the service of various undesirable agendas, which range from commercialization of cultural sites to the propagation of sectarian and exclusionary political and religious narratives.
Click here to read the full publication in English.
The Arabic version of the "Cultural heritage predation in Iraq' paper can be found on this link.
Watch this short video explainer (with Arabic subtitles) about how, since 2003, Iraq’s elites have appropriated the country’s rich cultural heritage in the service of various undesirable agendas. These agendas range from commercialization to the propagation of sectarian and exclusionary political or religious narratives.