From Pan-Arabism to Saddam Hussein's cult of personality
This article explores the nationalist ideologies in Iraq from the end of the Ottoman era to the fall of the Ba'ath regime in 2003, with emphasis on how Iraq's past, especially ancient Mesopotamia, was used by various Iraqi regimes to promote their political agendas. The article particularly focuses on the developments of Pan-Arabism in Iraq and the formation of an Iraqi nationalist ideology under the Republic and the Ba'ath regime. It also considers the cult of personality that developed around Saddam Hussein by selecting elements from the ancient past and projecting a whimsical image of Saddam Hussein as the latest manifestation of a great line of Mesopotamian leader-heroes. The article explores how archaeology and archaeological discoveries fit into these broader social, cultural, political, and ideological developments.
Nationalism, Politics, and the Development of Archaeology in Iran
The relationship between nationalism, politics, and the development and practice of archaeology has recently become a popular topic among archaeologists. This paper reviews the relationship between nationalism, political developments, and the rise and progress of archaeology in Iran from the mid 19th century to the present. The Iranian reaction to foreign interference is investigated here, and the role Iran's past has played in reinforcing nationalist sentiments is explored. It is argued that whenever the political situation provided a favorable environment, intellectuals and politicians, in various capacities, have exploited the archaeological and historical record, especially those of the Achaemenid and Sasanian empires, to advocate their nationalist agendas. This paper concludes with an assessment of the recent manifestations of Iranian nationalism in the post-revolutionary era, and its utilization of Iran's history and recent sociopolitical transformations.
Discourse Forms and Processes in Indigenous Lowland South America: An Areal-Typological Perspective
▪ Abstract In indigenous lowland South America there are several discourse forms and processes that are shared by groups of people of distinct genetic linguistic affiliations; this leads us to posit this large region, which we label greater Amazonia, as a discourse area, a concept that parallels the notion of linguistic area. The discourse forms and processes we examine are ceremonial dialogue, dialogical performance, templatic ratifying, echo speech, ceremonial greeting, ritual wailing, evidentiality, speech reporting practices, parallelism, special languages, and shamanistic language use. We hypothesize that in lowland South America, discourse is the matrix for linguistic diffusion, i.e., that linguistic areas emerge within discourse areas. What we propose then is a discourse-centered approach to language change and history, parallel to a discourse-centered approach to language structure and use. Our survey includes a plea for a careful archiving of recorded and written materials dealing with lowland So...