Sectarianism in Iraq: Antagonistic Visions of Unity (Columbia/Hurst)

Sectarianism in Iraq provides the first comprehensive analysis of the toxic issue of sectarian relations and sectarian identity in Iraq. Rather than reducing Arab Iraq to unchanging Sunnis and Shias, Fanar Haddad explores the social processes underlining the fluid dynamic of sectarian relations: from coexistence to civil war. By exploring the often antagonistic mythologies and nationalist symbolisms of Iraqi Shias and Iraqi Sunnis, Haddad charts the constantly fluctuating relevance of sectarian identity through periods of calm and upheaval and focusses on two milestones that will continue to impact on sectarian relations in Iraq: the uprisings of 1991 and the fall of the Baath in 2003.