Research master thesis | Middle Eastern Studies (research) (MA)
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This thesis focuses on property disputes in Iraq resulting from former regime policies between 1968 and 2003. The former regime used three intertwined strategies that resulted in loss of real...Show moreThis thesis focuses on property disputes in Iraq resulting from former regime policies between 1968 and 2003. The former regime used three intertwined strategies that resulted in loss of real property in particularly the northern regions of Iraq. Through land reforms, Arabization, and a series of attacks on Kurdish regions in the late 1980’s (entitled Anfāl) many persons were affected, notably Kurds. Houses and land were then often given to Arabs to tip the demographic balance in Kurdish majority areas in favor of Arabs. This thesis describes the stories of three victims of such property loss, and proceeds to analyze the legislative framework in place to solve these issues. From there, it analyses the Property Claims Commission, which has been the sole institution in Iraq to address the property conflicts that developed as a result of these former strategies.Show less
This thesis focuses on the manner in which Algerian and Moroccan authorities overlooked the growing identification and importance the French language had for citizens through the implementation of...Show moreThis thesis focuses on the manner in which Algerian and Moroccan authorities overlooked the growing identification and importance the French language had for citizens through the implementation of Arabization. The research was guided by the following research question: What were the negative consequences experienced in Morocco and Tunisia following the implementation of the Arabization process in each respective country? This thesis will examine these adverse effects by studying both short term and long term effects caused by Arabization. Most existing literature focuses on the positive aspects of Arabization such as the re-establishment of the Algerian and Moroccan identities after the colonial era. This has created a gap in the existing literature about this topic as the negative effects of Arabization are discussed scarcely. Subsequently, this thesis adopts a different approach to existing literature by discussing these negative effects.Show less