Selim Matar is an Iraqi-Swiss writer, historian, and public intellectual who is the founder and editor-in-chief of the journal Mesopotamia. Much of his body of work meditates on the nature of

Iraqi nationalism Iraqi nationalism is a form of nationalism that asserts the belief that Iraqis form a nation and promotes the cultural unity of Iraqis of different ethnoreligious groups such as Mesopotamian Arabs, Kurds, Turkmens, Assyrians, Yazidis, Mandeans ...

; his concepts and theories, centring on the "Identity of the Iraqi Nation", gave rise to the eponymous cultural movement that grew out of it. He is chiefly known for his works ''The Woman of the Flask'' and ''The Wounded Self.''

Biography

Selim Matar was born in

Baghdad Baghdad ( or ; , ) is the capital and List of largest cities of Iraq, largest city of Iraq, located along the Tigris in the central part of the country. With a population exceeding 7 million, it ranks among the List of largest cities in the A ...

in 1956 as the fourth of eight children to parents Matar and Wabria. Originally from

Amarah Amarah (), also spelled Amara, is a city in south-eastern Iraq, located on a low ridge next to the Tigris River waterway south of Baghdad about 50 km (31 mi) from the border with Iran. It lies at the northern tip of the marshlands between ...

in the southern Maysa governorate, his parents had moved to the capital before his birth and opened a

bistro A bistro or bistrot (), in its original Parisian form, is a small restaurant serving moderately priced, simple meals in a modest setting. In more recent years, the term has become used by restaurants considered, by some, to be pretentious. Style ...

next to the

Directorate of General Security The Directorate of General Security (DGS) () also known as Internal State Security was a domestic Iraqi Intelligence Service, Iraqi intelligence agency.Hiltermann, Joost. ''Bureaucracy of Repression: The Iraqi Government in Its Own Words''. Hum ...

, where the young Selim often worked after school. While delivering food and drinks in the Directorate, he would occasionally witness scenes of torture. Growing up in a poor

Shia Shia Islam is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that Muhammad designated Ali ibn Abi Talib () as both his political successor (caliph) and as the spiritual leader of the Muslim community (imam). However, his right is understood ...

family in one of the city's richest neighbourhoods and attending a majority-

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

school, he had greater exposure to Western products and ideas than the norm for Baghadi youth at the time, leading him to embrace atheism and progressive ideas in his adolescence. After a brief stint in the

Ba'ath Ba'athism, also spelled Baathism, is an Arab nationalist ideology which advocates the establishment of a unified Arab state through the rule of a Ba'athist vanguard party operating under a revolutionary socialist framework. The ideology is ...

student wing, he joined the

Iraqi Communist Party The Iraqi Communist Party ( '; ) is a communist party and the oldest active party in Iraq. Since its foundation in 1934, it has dominated the left in Iraqi politics. It played a prominent role in shaping the political history of Iraq between it ...

as a teenager. His autobiography recounts it as a seminal moment: "The poor boy from the south whose dream was limited to being accepted by a family, however small, was suddenly part of this large international family made up of magnificent Europeans, blond, civilized and full of illustrious characters:

Lenin Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov ( 187021 January 1924), better known as Vladimir Lenin, was a Russian revolutionary, politician and political theorist. He was the first head of government of Soviet Russia from 1917 until Death and state funeral of ...

Marx Karl Marx (; 5 May 1818 – 14 March 1883) was a German philosopher, political theorist, economist, journalist, and revolutionary socialist. He is best-known for the 1848 pamphlet '' The Communist Manifesto'' (written with Friedrich Engels) ...

Engels Friedrich Engels ( ;"Engels"
''

Mao, Castro as well as other intellectuals, scientists, politicians and activists." He initially worked as a civil servant to support his family before fleeing to

Bulgaria Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...

in late 1978 on party orders after the communists, then part of the National Progressive Front with the ruling Ba'ath Party, became subject to a campaign of lethal repression by

Saddam Hussein Saddam Hussein (28 April 1937 – 30 December 2006) was an Iraqi politician and revolutionary who served as the fifth president of Iraq from 1979 until Saddam Hussein statue destruction, his overthrow in 2003 during the 2003 invasion of Ira ...

. In exile, he was initially involved with the party's Al-Ansar paramilitary wing; after spending three months in

Sofia Sofia is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Bulgaria, largest city of Bulgaria. It is situated in the Sofia Valley at the foot of the Vitosha mountain, in the western part of the country. The city is built west of the Is ...

with fellow exiles, Matar was transferred to a Palestinian military camp in

Lebanon Lebanon, officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula, it is bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south ...

for combat training. Kicked out of the camp after a week for criticising the party's bureaucratic structure, he subsequently migrated throughout the Middle East over the following two years, "accumulating experiences that were as revolutionary and impulsive as they were naïve and thoughtless..." He became intensely disillusioned by the Iraqi opposition's factionalism and infighting, which was further worsened by the manipulations of secret service infiltrators and external groups: "They used us as pawns on a chessboard by sheltering behind revolutionary slogans. We were puppets." Deeming himself unfit for the life of a militant, Matar decided instead to serve the Iraqi cause through cultural avenues and made plans to seek an education in Europe; after securing an Italian visa, he moved to

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

in late 1980 and spent the following eight months in abject poverty. With only a meagre income from drawing tourists' caricatures, he often resorted to sleeping in squats and begging from churches in order to survive. Matar's first attempted move to Switzerland was aborted when his money and documents were stolen; he finally settled in

Geneva Geneva ( , ; ) ; ; . is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland and the most populous in French-speaking Romandy. Situated in the southwest of the country, where the Rhône exits Lake Geneva, it is the ca ...

in late 1981 and enrolled in the

Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies The Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies (, abbreviated IHEID), commonly referred to as Geneva Graduate Institute, is a graduate-level research university in Geneva, Switzerland dedicated to international relations, dev ...

, specializing in Social Sciences and research in the Third World. Matar currently lives in Geneva with his wife Marguerite, a professor of Arabic at the

University of Geneva The University of Geneva (French: ''Université de Genève'') is a public university, public research university located in Geneva, Switzerland. It was founded in 1559 by French theologian John Calvin as a Theology, theological seminary. It rema ...

. Their son Bassim, born in 1990, works as an IT specialist in

Morges Morges (; , Plurale tantum, plural, probably Ablative (Latin), ablative, else dative; ) is a Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in the Switzerland, Swiss Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Vaud and the seat of the Morges District, distri ...

Theories on nationalism and the "identity of the Iraqi nation"

In Switzerland, Matar distanced himself from communism for its internationalist and economic viewpoint, which he considers to be in conflict with national identity and the importance of culture, as well as its basis in

materialism Materialism is a form of monism, philosophical monism according to which matter is the fundamental Substance theory, substance in nature, and all things, including mind, mental states and consciousness, are results of material interactions. Acco ...

, which conflicts with his view of spirituality. In his biography, he recounts how the Communist Party "only ever taught me to criticize and despise raq'straditions, its heritage and its history, and to revolt against the State and society (...) In all the cultural meetings of the party that I attended, in the numerous books and documents that I studied, never was Iraqi history and civilization mentioned, nor its people, its towns and villages, its ethnic or confessional groups… Everything we were taught about our country was limited to the struggle of the Communist Party, the struggle of the proletarians, the peasant revolts, and the Kurdish cause." Breaking from his initial worldview as a "universalist materialist", he redefined himself as a "spiritual humanist": a defence of cultural diversity, recognising the plural nature of national identity, believing in cosmic forces without basis in a specific religion, and being open to studying diverse beliefs from around the world. One of Matar's fundamental theses is that "the exterior is the reflection of the interior; every individual essence contains also the essence of the universe. Therefore, individual identity is the basis of all other forms of identity. If we do not believe in ourselves and in what surrounds us, we cannot believe in the collectivity and what lies further. Therefore, if we are not attached to our own people and own identity, we cannot be attached to humanity as a whole." From this foundation, Matar began to fixate on the concept of national identity, in particular the identity of Iraqis in exile. A central focus of his body of work, beginning with ''The Woman of The Flask'', has been the "identity of the Iraqi nation", which developed into a cultural movement of the same name. The movement's genesis proper can be traced to the publication of ''The Wounded Self'' in 1996, a treatise on the crisis of national identity in the face of conflict and exile. Matar's adherence to pacifism, belief in national unity and opposition to ethnic and religious sectarianism has been the source of controversy inside and outside of Iraq.

Selected bibliography

Matar is the author of several treatises, essays, novels and short stories, which he has made available free of charge.

Principal works

* ''Imra’at al-Qârûra'' (1990; English translation: The Woman of the Flask) 1990 Recipient of the "Al-Naqed" Prize for best Arabic novel. * ''Al-Dhât al-djarîha'' (1996; English translation: Wounded Identity/The Wounded Self) . * ''I’tirâfât radjulin lâ yastahyî'' (2008; English translation: The Confessions of a Man without Shame) Partially adapted into a play in 2010. * ''Al-munazammât al-sirriyah'' (2001; English translation: The Secret Societies) * ''Al-Irâq, saba’tu alâf 'âm min al-hayât'' (2013; English translation: 7000 Years of Living History) * ''La Planète de l'extase'' (2022; English translation: The Planet of Ecstasy)

Other works

* ''Al-taw’am al-mafqûd'' (2000; English translation: The Lost Twin) * ''Djadal a-huwiyyât'' (2003; English translation: The Debate of Identities) * ''Al-Irâq al-djadîd wa-l-fikr al-djadîd'' (2001; English translation: The New Iraq and the New Thought) * ''Bagdad – Genève: A la recherche d’une patrie'' (2011; English translation: Baghdad – Geneva: In search of a homeland) * ''Yaqzat al-huwiyyah al-irâqiyya'' (2011; English translation: The Awakening of Iraqi Identity) * ''Mashrû' al-ihyâh al-watanî al-'irâqî'' (2012; English translation: The Project of the Rebirth of the Iraqi Nation)

Selected editions of Mesopotamia (Journal)

In 2004, Matar published the first issue of the journal Mesopotamia, focusing primarily on Iraqi culture and history. Since its founding, he has also served as editor-in-chief. ''1. Khamsat alâf 'âm min al-unûtha al-'irâqiyyah'' (2004; English translation: 5000 Years of Iraqi Femininity) Detailing the history of Iraqi women from ancient times to the modern day. 2. ''Mawsû’ah al-madâ’in al’irâqiyyah'' (2005; English translation: Encyclopedia of Iraqi Cities) Laying out the geography and history of Iraqi provinces and their principal cities. 3. ''Khamsat alâf 'âm min al-tadayyun al-'irâqî'' (2006; English translation: 5000 Years of Iraqi Religiosity) Detailing the history of the different religions and confessions of Iraq. 4. ''Mawsû’at Kirkuk qalb al-'Irâq'' (2008; English translation: Encyclopedia of Kirkûk, the Heart of Iraq) Dedicated to the history and geography of the

Kirkuk Governorate Kirkuk Governorate (; ; ) or Kirkuk Province is a governorate in northern Iraq. The governorate has an area of . In 2017, the estimated population was 1,259,561 people. The provincial capital is the city of Kirkuk. It is divided into four Distri ...

, as well as its demographics and culture. 5. ''Mawsû’at al-lughât al-'irâqiyyah'' (2008; English translation: Encyclopedia of Iraqi Languages) An encyclopedia of the languages spoken in Iraq throughout the centuries, living and dead, as well as the cultures of its linguistic communities. 6. ''Mawsû’at al-bî’ah al-'irâqiyyah'' (2010; English translation: Encyclopedia of the Iraqi Environment) Detailing the geology and nature of Iraq, as well as the ecological challenges caused by industry, conflict, and pollution.

Notes

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Matar, Selim 1956 births Iraqi nationalists 20th-century Iraqi novelists Immigrants to Switzerland Iraqi emigrants Historians of Iraq Living people Iraqi deists Former atheists and agnostics 21st-century Swiss historians