Symbolic Representation of State HistoryA Cultural Study of Salim al-Wardi's Novel "The Biography of Ibrahim"

Abstract

This research is a critical study, employing a cultural approach, of a relatively new topic that has not received the serious attention it deserves. Its central question is how the history of the Iraqi state has been represented in fiction. Because Dr. Salim al-Wardi's novel "The Biography of Ibrahim" retells the history of the state with new perspectives and profound insights, we chose it as a case study, marking the first time it has been examined academically.

The research plan is structured as follows: an introductory section defining the concepts of state and nation, followed by two chapters. The first, titled "The Debate Between Sub-Identities and National Identity: The State-Society," explores the nature of the contradictions within a multicultural society between long-standing sub-identities and the emerging Iraqi national identity following the formation of the state.  The second chapter, titled "Power Before the State: The Military and the Parties," analyzes the tendencies toward monopolization and domination of state institutions, both by the military through its successive coups and by the political parties, as embodied in the stances of fictional characters belonging to the Iraqi Communist Party and the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party. It examines how these parties fostered sharp polarization and a culture of militarism within society, contributing to the weakening of the social fabric and the foundations of the Iraqi state.