A New History for Iraq

History is always political, and nowhere is that fact more apparent than in school textbooks. Our own school systems and the textbook advisory boards that select the books our children use(called different things in different states) have experienced this reality over interpretations of the Civil War, Reconstruction, the Civil Rights movement, and even the religious leanings of the founding fathers. After the Civil War, groups such as the United Daughters of the Confederacy monitored textbooks for their coverage of "the late unpleasantness" and would even dispatch members to monitor teachers when they taught the history of the war. Iraq has a new history for secondary school students, a clear break from the curriculum used by Saddam Hussein to keep himself in power. The Washington Post report indicates some interesting inclusions and exclusions. NPR provides some interviews with students on how they view this new history of Iraq. Things left out: The Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in 1990 and the US invasion and occupation. Things included: Sh'ia religious history.

The Iraqi National Musuem reopened this week. The BBC had some great photos from the opening. Given the widespread looting and destruction which occurred after the US invasion, this is a tremendous event. I actually saw the museum very briefly in 2006 and it didn't look as good as it does in the BBC images.There may be more than meets the eye here, as only a few of the exhibit halls are open, and the museum director was fired last month. See the Museum's website for more images and information on the exbibits.