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| Iraqi Academy | |
|---|---|
| Name | Iraqi Academy |
| Formation | 1948 |
| Headquarters | Baghdad |
| Type | Academy of letters and sciences |
| Language | Arabic, Kurdish |
| Leader title | President |
Iraqi Academy The Iraqi Academy is a national learned society founded in Baghdad in 1948 to promote Arabic and Kurdish letters, philology, and scientific scholarship. It has interacted with institutions such as the University of Baghdad, Baghdad Museum, National Library of Iraq, and international bodies like the UNESCO, British Museum, and Institut du Monde Arabe while engaging scholars associated with Taha Hussein, Said al-Sayyab, and Muhammad al-Jawahiri. The Academy's work intersects with cultural landmarks including the Al-Mutanabbi Street book trade, the House of Wisdom (Bayt al-Hikma), and academic networks tied to the American University of Beirut, Sorbonne University, and Al-Azhar University.
Established after negotiations involving Iraqi politicians from the Royal Iraqi Army era, intellectuals connected to Nuri al-Said, and cultural figures influenced by the Nahda movement, the Academy aimed to codify language and scholarship. During the 1958 Iraqi coup d'état and subsequent regimes connected to Abd al-Karim Qasim and the Ba'ath Party, the institution underwent reorganization and survived pressures similar to those faced by the Iraqi Museum and the National Library of Iraq. In the 1980s and 1990s it collaborated with scholars who had ties to the University of Mosul, University of Basrah, and expatriate networks in Cairo, Beirut, and London. The 2003 Iraq War and the period of Sectarian violence in Iraq affected its premises and archives, prompting recovery efforts with assistance from groups like UNESCO, International Council on Monuments and Sites, and teams from the Smithsonian Institution.
The Academy's internal divisions historically mirrored counterparts such as the Academy of the Arabic Language in Cairo, the Royal Society, and the French Academy, and included departments for philology, history, and natural sciences with links to faculties at the University of Baghdad, University of Basrah, and the Kurdistan Regional Government educational offices. Governance has featured presidents, secretaries, and councils modeled after the Iraqi Ministries' advisory bodies, while its legal status has been shaped by statutes comparable to those enacted by the Iraqi Higher Education Council and legislation debated in the Iraqi Council of Representatives. Administrative interaction extended to cultural agencies such as the Ministry of Culture (Iraq), the State Board of Antiquities and Heritage, and provincial cultural directorates in Nineveh Governorate and Basra Governorate.
The Academy has engaged in lexicography, standardization efforts, and cultural preservation akin to projects run by the Academia Mexicana de la Lengua, the Royal Spanish Academy, and the Academia Brasileira de Letras. Activities included organizing symposia with participants from the Sayyid Qutb circle, medievalists studying the Abbasid Caliphate, and modernists influenced by Nizar Qabbani; hosting lectures featuring scholars from the American Center for Oriental Research, the Oriental Institute (Chicago), and the Institute for the Study of Islam and the Middle East; and coordinating with archives at the Iraqi National Archives, the British Library, and the Library of Congress on manuscript preservation.
The Academy published journals, dictionaries, critical editions, and conference proceedings resembling outputs of the Royal Asiatic Society, the École Pratique des Hautes Études, and the Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies. Notable series included philological studies on texts related to Ibn al-Nadim, critical editions of poetry by authors like Al-Mutanabbi, and historical monographs concerning periods such as the Ottoman Empire administration in Iraq, drawing on archival materials from the Imperial Archives (Ottoman) and the British Mandate records. Research collaborations were undertaken with institutions such as the British Academy, the German Archaeological Institute, and the Oriental Academy (Vienna).
Membership comprised elected fellows, corresponding members, and honorary appointees drawn from universities including the University of Baghdad, Iraqi University, and the University of Sulaymaniyah, as well as expatriate academics affiliated with Columbia University, SOAS University of London, and the University of Oxford. Leadership included presidents and secretaries who were public intellectuals associated with figures like Abdul-Wahab al-Bayati, Badr Shakir al-Sayyab, and jurists tied to the Iraqi Bar Association. Honorary fellows sometimes included cultural figures who also appeared in forums organized by Al-Mamun Cultural Center, the Baghdad International Film Festival, and the Al-Mutanabbi Street Festival.
The Academy faced controversies similar to debates at the Academy of Athens and the Academy of Sciences of the USSR over language purism, politicization during the Ba'athist Iraq era, and accusations of censorship paralleling disputes involving the Ministry of Information (Iraq). Critics from universities like the University of Mosul and journals comparable to Al-Arabi argued about representation and regional inclusivity, echoing tensions seen in disputes involving the Kurdistan Democratic Party and the Iraqi Communist Party. Post-2003 critics raised issues related to heritage protection alongside campaigns by organizations such as Iraqi Civil Society Solidarity Initiative and reports by Human Rights Watch concerning the broader cultural aftermath of conflict.
The Academy's legacy is evident in modern dictionaries, editions, and curricula used at the University of Baghdad, Al-Mustansiriya University, and schools in the Kurdistan Region; its influence extends into cultural policy debated in the Iraqi Council of Ministers and heritage initiatives coordinated with UNESCO and the Iraqi State Board of Antiquities and Heritage. Alumni and affiliates have contributed to scholarship at institutions like the British Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Institut Français d'Archéologie Orientale, while its archival projects informed exhibitions at venues such as the Baghdad Museum and publications issued by the Arab League.
Category:Learned societies of Iraq