This thesis attempts to explore the way in which archaeology is used by postmodern governmental entities that are in the process of state-building. This is done by taking the Kurdistan Regional...Show moreThis thesis attempts to explore the way in which archaeology is used by postmodern governmental entities that are in the process of state-building. This is done by taking the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) of Iraq as a case study. The Kurds of Iraq have been attempting to secure their rights and autonomy ever since the demarcation of modern Middle Eastern borders in the early 20th century. These attempts were received with constant suppression by successive Iraqi regimes, up until the aftermath of the First Gulf War, when the KRG was established in 1992. Ever since its establishment, the KRG has embarked on a project of state-building with an ultimate aim of secession from Iraq. This attempt at building the Kurdish state has led to the exploitation of archaeology. The negative effects of these practices on archaeology are exasperated by the fact archaeological state policy in the KRG is deeply hierarchical. This is a legacy of the previous Iraqi regime that was not rectified due to a lack of institutional reconstruction efforts that followed the First and Second Gulf Wars. The exploitation of archaeology in the KRG is twofold: On one hand, archaeology is used to assert a deeply rooted historical presence of the Kurds in the region by linking modern Kurdish citizens to ancient cultures like the Gutis and Medes. On the other hand, the control of archaeological sites is part of a larger frame of resource control as a means asserting independence to the outside world. This preoccupation with gaining foreign approval (through archaeology and other means) goes back to the fact that the KRG’s existence is largely a result of intervention by foreign powers, who remained patrons of the KRG and sustained it economically for a long time after it was created.Show less
