Journal Article

Culture and the New Iraq: The Iraq National Library and Archive, \Imagined Community,\ and the Future of the Iraqi Nation

Edwards, Julie Biando, Edwards, Stephan P.

2008

Overview

Donald Rumsfeld's famous quip-\"stuff happens\"-issued in response to concern over the destruction of the INLA, has never satisfied anyone alarmed about the fate of cultural institutions in Iraq.5 Such a statement points not only to the former secretary of defense's disregard for collateral damage but also to the simple fact that for him, as for many, books are not a high priority in war zones. 34 Keeping it safe from the daily violence is no small task, but it is the only way to ensure that the INLA and its materials will survive to illustrate the cultural history of Iraq to open its reading room to new readers and to foster a sense of national identity that encourages people to imagine themselves as Iraqis, not as members of a specific ethnic group or religious sect.

• Publisher: University of Texas Press,University of Texas at Austin (University of Texas Press)
• Subject: Analysis / Archives / Camus, Albert (1913-1960) / Countries / Cultural change / Cultural history / Cultural identity / Cultural institutions / Culture / Eskander, Saad / Essays & Notes / Ethnic factors / Ethnic groups / Ethnic identity / French literature / Genocide / Heroism & heroes / Imagined communities / Iraq / Iraq War-2003 / Libraries / Libraries, National / Literature / Minority & ethnic groups / National archives / National identity / National libraries / Nationalism / Religion / Sectarian violence / Social aspects / Violence / War damage / Weapons of mass destruction