"This edited volume represents a re-examination of the most central issues in the history of the Iraqi nation state until the American occupation (1920-2003) and, in the light of that history, a re-evaluation of developments under the occupation (2003-2008). By re-visiting Iraq's history, the contributors are offering a fresh look at the contradictions, oscillations and development of the Iraqi nation and its sense of identity, as well as the American occupation, and are suggesting what it all may mean in terms of the future of Iraq"--Provided by publisher.

"A fresh look at Iraqi history through the twentieth century until today, this book identifies continuities and breaks in the Iraqi experience. It combines chapters that provide each an expansive bird's-eye view of a key issue spanning a century with chapters that focus on more specific case studies that have been largely overlooked so far but such that are of great significance for Iraq's present and future. Some of the events and developments discussed were enforced from the outside and some grew out of particular and historically changing configurations within Iraqi society, but all are highly relevant to the understanding of contemporary Iraq. Written by leading scholars in the field, the chapters focus on such topics as the changing features of the of Iraqi identity, the rise of Iraqi nationalism alongside competing identities, ethnic and sectarian communalism, the role of women, Iraq's military history, the Iraqi economy, state building after the 2003 invasion, and a comparative discussion of the British and U.S. colonial adventures and the implications of those developments for the future of the country. The volume raises some pertinent questions on the way Iraqi history and present are interpreted and adds knowledge to the existing scholarship"--Provided by publisher.