The 2020 TARII Fellowship Awards

We are pleased to announce the 2020 TARII Fellows!

Due to limitations in our 2020 programming as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, TARII has shifted funds in order to provide for more research fellowships this year. TARII, with the feedback and support of a scholarly review committee, has selected seven Iraqi fellows and five American fellows. Our four American fellows and their research are listed below. For security reasons, similar information on the seven Iraqi fellows will be provided if and when they provide their consent.

US

• Jordan Brown, University of California, Berkeley

Historical Socioecology of the Erbil Plain: Geoarchaeology and Remote Sensing

• Camille Cole, PhD, University of Cambridge

  The Ottoman Gilded Age: Land, Law, and Capital in Basra, 1884-1914

• Avary Taylor, Johns Hopkins University

  The "Thing" About the Palace: A Posthumanist Biography of the Northwest Palace

• Gabriel Young, New York University

  Basra, State Formation, and Transnational Urbanization in Iraq and the Gulf, 1920s-1960s

Iraq

• Aqeel Almansrawe, State Board of Antiquities and Heritage

  Documentation of Endangered Archaeological Sites in the Marsh Region of Maysan Province, Iraq

• Muntadher Aloda, State Board of Antiquities and Heritage

  Al-Shanashil Heritage Buildings in Basra: Documenting the Deterioration and Threats

• Karwan Amin, PhD, Hawler Medical University

  Exploring people’s perceived risk and protective behavioural change towards COVID-19 in Iraqi Kurdistan Region

• Etlal Hanna, PhD, University of Al-Hamdaniyah

  Tourist Development of the Religious Heritage Sites in the Nineveh Plain

• DLshad Aziz Marf, PhD, and Ziyad Ahmad Mohammed, PhD, University of Sulaimani

  The Jewish Knešta (synagogue) in Ancient Arbela: Archaeological and Historical field survey

• Nassier Al-Zubaidi, PhD, University of Baghdad

  Iraqi Complimenting Behaviour in Facebook and Instagram Platforms: A Cyber-Pragmatics Perspective

The 2019 TARII Dissertation Award

TARII is pleased to announce the winners of the 2019 Dissertation Award for research in medieval or modern Iraq!

After considerable review by an award committee and confirmation by the TARII Board, we are honored to recognize two scholars for their pivotal research in medieval or modern Iraq. You can find abstracts of their dissertations on the recipients page here.

يسر معهد تاري اعلان اسماء الفائزين بجائزة 2019، وهما دكتورة اليسا والتر والدكتور فيصل حسين اللذان فازا مناصفة بجائزة العراق الحديث او العصور الوسطى.

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Dr. Faisal Husain, “The Tigris-Euphrates Basin Under Early Modern Ottoman Rule, c. 1534-1830”

Dr. Husain is currently a residential fellow at the Notre Dame Institute for Advanced Study while working to revise his dissertation into a book manuscript.

Dr. Alissa Walter, “The Ba’th Party in Baghdad: State-Society Relations through Wars, Sanctions, and Authoritarian Rule, 1950-2003”

Dr. Walter is also revising her dissertation for publication including a new chapter entitled "Concrete Blast Walls and Neighborhood Councils: State-Society Relations in Baghdad after Saddam Hussein," which will focus on state-society relations from 2003-2010. She has plans to do additional fieldwork in Iraq and Jordan this summer to inform this new chapter.

A portion of her dissertation findings have been published:

The article "Sex Crimes and Punishments in Baghdad" appeared in POMEPS 35, Religion, Violence, and the State in Iraq (2019).

"Petitioning Saddam: Voices from the Iraqi Archives" appeared as a chapter in an edited volume entitled Truth, Silence, and Violence in Emerging States: Histories of the Unspoken, edited by Aidan Russell (Routledge 2018)

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TARII would like to thank everyone for the amazing nominations submitted for this year’s prize. We are consistently encouraged and supportive of all of the great research being done in and on Iraq.

Introducing: Ask a Board Member!

We’re excited to announce our new series, Ask a Board Member! If you have any questions about research in or about Iraq or TARII’s role in this research, submit your questions to info@tarii.org and we’ll have a board member answer!

First up, a couple questions for TARII President, Peter Wien.

What is the greatest challenge for a historian's research in Iraq today?

Access to primary sources has been the central problem over the past decades concerning historians of modern Iraq, not only since the US-led invasion of 2003, but long before. Very few works that have been written about the country are actually based on archival or library research in Iraq proper, due to restrictions by dictatorship, war, and the lack of security. In the course of the disintegration of the state that followed the Iraqi defeat in 2003, the Iraqi-American historian and publicist Kanan Makiya removed documents from a Ba‘thist archive in Baghdad, which he later passed on to the Hoover Institution at Stanford University. The legitimacy of this removal has been highly disputed, but the trove of documents has since become an invaluable source for researchers. Other than that, it is difficult to even find information about the accessibility and state of archives and libraries in Iraq itself. The National Library and Archive in Baghdad had been open for researchers for some time in the last decade, but since the advent of Daesh/ISIS, things remain unclear. As far as other regional or local archives are concerned, we don’t even know how many of them exist. Some researchers managed to gain access to private or community collections during the past two decades, but again, no systematic overview is available. It would be a tremendous service to the preservation of Iraqi heritage and for historians worldwide if a concerted effort were made to document the Iraqi archival and library landscape as a first step before conservation efforts can take place.

What do you think is TARII’s role in Iraq today and what do you hope it will be in the future?

The aforementioned documentation effort is one area where TARII could be active, provide funding and help coordinate such a documentation project. Similar support work is already being done in lending a helping hand to archaeologists seeking approval for projects and entry visas. TARII can make its contacts available as a facilitator, and, once we will have set up shop in Baghdad, be a first access point for researchers after arrival, offering accommodation, a library, and workspace. TARII staff in Baghdad will act as facilitators, will help organize transportation and security, and will establish exchange with local scholars and specialists. For Iraqi scholars and students, TARII’s premises in Baghdad will be a go-to place for intellectual exchange, talks and presentations, international networking, help in organizing local research and attaining fellowships, as well as using a full-scale research library. TARII’s house in Baghdad will become a unique hub connecting scholars, students and researchers across a wide range of disciplines, periods and geographical areas they focus on.

Peter Wien is TARII’s Board President and Professor for Modern Middle Eastern History at the University of Maryland in College Park. He has written extensively about political, cultural and intellectual history themes in Iraq and other parts of the Middle East and North Africa. He is currently working on a microhistory of a political murder in Damascus in 1940.

Cuneiform Tablets: Origins, trafficking, and best practices for the future

On September 5-6, 2019, TARII US Director, Amanda Long, was honored to partake in this conference coordinated and hosted by Dr. Katharyn Hanson - TARII Institutional Board Representative for the Smithsonian Institution.

Dr. Hanson, Cultural Heritage Preservation Scholar for the Smithsonian’s Museum Conservation Institute (MCI), organized this invite-only event that convened international and Iraqi cuneiform tablet specialists, cultural heritage practitioners, and US law enforcement professionals at the Smithsonian Institution to share insights on recent developments in the technical analysis of tablets. This two-day conference offered for more precise hypotheses on the origin of tablets that have been illegally imported into the US. The goal of the conference, to strengthen interdisciplinary collaboration on tablet conservation and repatriation, and improve the effectiveness of legal procedures combatting their illegal trade, was greatly needed and well received. It included frequent cross-disciplinary discussions facilitated between presentations that would regularly extend into the breaks.

The keynote speaker, Dr. Morag Kersel from DePaul University, using her research through the Follow the Pots Project (more information here) discussed the possible path of trafficked cuneiform tablets by examining the laws, networks, transit points, markets, and actors who may have facilitated the illegal and legal movement of these artifacts. She was joined by speakers from all over the world, including the University of Baghdad, Smithsonian Institution, Spanish National Research Council, University of Reading, Yale University, and Brigham Young University. Also in attendance were representatives from the Embassy of the Republic of Iraq, Department of State, National Endowment for the Humanities, Department of Justice, Homeland Security Investigations, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and more.

The conference included a mini workshop on proper tablet handling and packaging procedures lead by MCI conservation specialists Jessica Johnson, Head of Conservation, and Rebecca Kaczkowski, Preventive Conservator.

Photo Information:

Header Image: Smithsonian cuneiform tablet by Olivia Kuzio, MCI (Smithsonian Institution, 2019)

Right Image: (left to right) Dr. Laith Hussein - Head of the Department of Archaeology, University of Baghdad; Ahmed Utaifa - Second Secretary and Cultural Attaché, Embassy of the Republic of Iraq; Dr. Katharyn Hanson - Cultural Heritage Preservation Scholar, Smithsonian Institution (photo credit: TARII, 2019)

Left Image: (left to right) Dr. Edward Stratford - Associate Professor, Brigham Young University; Dr. Lee Drake - President, Decision Tree, LLC; Dr. Katharyn Hanson; Dr. Klaus Wagensonner - Postdoctoral Associate, Yale University (photo credit: TARII, 2019)

Building Sustainable Peace in Iraq: The Role Of Transitional Justice and Post-Conflict Peace Building

TARII co-sponsored a symposium with Boston University’s Institute for the Study of Muslim Societies and Civilizations on April 12, 2019

One of the most costly and aggressive interventions in American history, the invasion and occupation of Iraq in 2003 ushered in an era of state collapse, insecurity, ethno-religious violence, and new forms of authoritarianism culminating in the rise of ISIL in 2014. Current narratives of Iraq have eschewed tackling questions of transitional justice and post-conflict peace building. This workshop brings together leading experts on Iraq to explore how Iraqi state and society relations can benefit from peace-building paradigms as mechanisms for addressing stalled democratization.

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An agenda with presentation abstracts is available here.

Tribes and Tribalism: (Re-)Assessing Society in the Middle East and How We Talk About It

TARII Co-Sponsored Symposium

About the Symposium

Tribal life has been a reality for people in the Middle East as elsewhere in the world for millennia. The essential importance of tribal structures, juxtaposed with the manipulation of tribes by colonial and indigenous governments ("tribalism"), has made tribes the object of deep study by social scientists and historians. The goal of this conference was to re-focus on tribes and the actuality of their functions, and on the experiences of the people who adhere to them, while at the same time weighing these actualities against a critique of the tribalism paradigm.

The symposium addressed a range of subjects from disciplines including history, anthropology, literature and cultural studies, as well as political science that investigate the diversity of social, cultural, economic and political locations of tribal life, as well as evocations, and interpretations of tribalism in the Middle East in past and present. The geographical focus of the symposium was limited to Iraq, Yemen, and Jordan/Syria in order to facilitate debate and enhance comparability on the one hand, and because of the particular currency of these geographical boundaries in the contemporary Middle East. Chronologically, papers focused on the modern period from the 19th century to the present day, while some participants were invited to address long-term perspectives in their papers.

The symposium and discussions were facilitated by Dr. Peter Wien, TARII Board President. It was held at the University of Maryland College Park on May 2-3, 2019.

Papers

“No remedies by these: banishment, refuge, and regard among the Balga tribes of Jordan”

• Dr. Andrew Shryock

“Tribes, Patrilineages, Individual Ontology, and States in the Middle East”

• Dr. Diane King

“Social and Political Consequences of Surname Confusion in in Saudi Arabia and Iraq”

• Dr. Nadav Samin

“A Geography of Tribes in Yemen”

• Dr. Charles Schmitz

“Tribalism in Northern Highland Yemen: Tribes, Rulers, and Revolutions”

• Dr. Marieke Brandt

“The Emergence of Tribal Literature in Jordan: History, Nationalism, and Social Upheaval”

• Dr. Yoav Alon

“Playing with fire: the impact of manipulating tribal identities by the authoritarian regimes on the Civil War in Syria”

• Dr. Haian Dukhan

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More information, such as biographies and abstracts, is available at www.tribesumd.com

TARII Awards 2019 US Fellowships

TARII was encouraged and excited to receive so many strong applications for our 2019 US fellowships. Unfortunately, we cannot award all of the great research being done on and in Iraq at the moment but we are working towards expanding our research funding. We are excited to announce, after a full review by a scholarly committee, this year’s TARII US Fellows are:

• Andrew Alger, (City University of New York): “From Beirut to Baghdad: AUB Graduates and the Production of Urban Space in Iraq, 1920-1968”

• Wisam Al-Shaibi, (University of California Los Angeles): “Resurrecting the Dead: archives, exiles, and the wars in Iraq”

• Jeffrey Haines, (University of Washington): “Mosul’s Hinterland: Village and Monastery in Early Islamic Iraq”

• Anke Marsh, (University College London): “Water and Vegetation in the Rise of Social Complexity in Southern Mesopotamia"

Please check back for future updates on their research and projects.

Support for this program comes from a grant from the State Department's Bureau for Educational and Cultural Affairs (State/ECA) through the Council of American Overseas Research Centers (CAORC).

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At this time, TARII does not publicize the names of our Iraqi Fellows for security reasons. We do, however, award fellowships to Iraqi scholars every year and we look forwarding to continuing to support the research. We awarded three Iraqi Fellowships for 2019 conducting research in: geoarchaeology, linguistics and gender, and social psychology.

TARII's New Official Logo

TARII implemented a new official logo during the annual board meeting in November, 2018. Check out the new logo and look for it on all official TARII documents, websites, and items!

Photo credit: TARII, 2018

TARII Hosts Reception at MESA 2018

TARII hosted another successful reception at the November 2018 Middle East Studies Association (MESA) annual meeting in San Antonio, Texas!

We enjoyed reconnecting with so many of you, meeting potential members, and hearing about your research. TARII’s Board and staff always look forward to meeting people interested in the research of Iraq. As we enter the 30-year anniversary of the founding of TARII, we will be moving forward with new projects, expanding our fellowships, and wonderful membership events.

Please stay connected with us as we have some exciting announcements coming in 2019!

MESA attendees gather at the TARII reception and make new friends! Photo credit: TARII, 2018

TARII Founder and Former President McGuire Gibson (left) and current TARII President Peter Wien chat at the MESA reception. Photo credit: TARII, 2018

TARII Brings Together the Advisory Council for the Iraqi Institute for the Conservation of Antiquities and Heritage

In September, TARII brought together the Advisory Council for the Iraqi Institute for the Conservation of Antiquities and Heritage (IICAH) in Erbil, Iraq. It was funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and implemented by TARII with the help of the Smithsonian Institution. This was the first Advisory Council meeting in 5 years, the last being in 2013 due to Daesh entering the area in 2014. TARII was excited to bring the Council together (from around the US and Iraq) to discuss the re-advancement of the Institute.

IICAH conservation students in class

Photo credit: TARII, 2018

The Council tours the Erbil Civilization Museum, which has conservators trained at IICAH

Photo credit: TARII, 2018

The Council speaks with the Erbil Civilization Museum conservators and tours their lab

Photo credit: TARII, 2018

Museum conservators with their IICAH instructors/council members

Photo credit: TARII, 2018

Dr. Katharyn Hanson, TARII Board Member, presents at the meeting

Photo credit: TARII, 2018