(Photo: Firdos Square twenty years later)
On this day, twenty years ago, Saddam Hussein’s statue was brought down in Firdos Square, marking the beginning of the U.S.-led occupation of Iraq. This event changed the entire trajectory of Iraq and reshaped the country in numerous seen and unseen ways.
The 20th anniversary of the Iraq War has invited reflections, and represents an opportunity to not only look back, but to also look forward. We are happy to see the voices of Iraqi analysts, academics and activists take centre stage in so many of these events both inside Iraq and internationally.
To meet this opportunity, we wanted to also ensure a space for Iraqi women (in Iraq and in the diaspora) specifically to share their reflections and their work on all things Iraqi life, society, politics, development, history and culture, focusing on the changes since 2003 and on their outlooks and ideas for what the next 20 years may bring.
This series will be published on Iraqi Thoughts weekly for the coming months. Each Sunday, we will share the reflection and expertise of an Iraqi woman. We are excited to share this series with you.
From the series editors Yasmin Chilmeran and Marsin Alshamary
Essays:
An Account from East to West: Storytelling and the Politics of Identity – Reaam Mahbuba
The Struggle of Young Iraqi Women for Political Participation – Nour Alhuda Saad
A Twenty Year Retrospective on the Iraqi Women’s Movement – Yasmin Chilmeran
The False Promise of Humanitarianism in Iraq – Mariam Al-Nuaimi
In Search of a Madani State in Iraq – Marsin Alshamary
The Invisible War: Domestic Violence and Its Impact on Iraqi Women – Mays Al-Ramadhani
The Gender Dimensions of the Climate Crisis in Iraq – Zeinab Shuker
The Enduring Challenges of Women’s Economic Participation in Iraq – Maryam Sryoka
The Ongoing Politicization of the Iraqi Artist – Joumana Altallal
Amidst Conflict and Conservatism: Iraqi Women’s Access to Education After 2003 – Rasha Al-Tameemi
The Art of Archiving Crises: Displacement in Iraq – Mariam Hassoun
We are not ‘Iraq’s Minorities’: Assyrians 20 Years Post-Invasion – Mariam Georgis
Trauma and Stigma: The Mental Health Crisis 20 Years On – Raghad Kasim
Yasmin Chilmeran
Yasmin Chilmeran is a researcher, coordinator and consultant working for humanitarian and development organizations in Iraq. Her research and consulting work centres on issues related to gender mainstreaming, women’s participation in peacebuilding and prevention of violent extremism efforts in post-conflict settings in the Middle East, focusing largely on Iraq. She completed her PhD in 2020 with Monash University’s Centre for Gender, Peace and Security.
Marsin Alshamary
Marsin Alshamary is an Iraqi political scientist and a research fellow with the Middle East Initiative at the Harvard Kennedy School. She is also a non-resident fellow at the Brookings Institution. Her research examines the intersection of religion, protest, and civil society in Iraq. She is an incoming assistant professor at Boston College and holds a PhD from MIT.
