Archive Iraq Open-Access Digital Collection of Iraqi History

Overview

Archive Iraq is an open access, digital collection of primary and secondary source materials relating to the history of Iraq, with a particular focus on the period of the Anglo-American invasion and occupation that began in 2003. It is maintained by an international, multilingual network of scholars committed to creating, recovering, and maintaining collective memory of Iraqi history, addressing gaps in cultural and historical records, and developing open access educational materials.

Mission and Approach

The organization describes its mission as providing an inclusive, holistic, and corrective account of Iraqi history that supports community efforts for accountability and justice. Unlike traditional archives, Archive Iraq is oriented explicitly toward repairing collective memory of a contested historical period. Collections are released with explicit commemorative framing, including the release of materials on the 20th anniversary of the Anglo-American invasion in March 2023.

Collections and Holdings

The digital collection includes:

• Primary source documents, including declassified U.S. military records such as the CENTCOM Iraq Papers — compiled as part of the research for the U.S. Army's official history of Operation Iraqi Freedom and released with the 2019 publication The U.S. Army in the Iraq War

• Secondary source materials on Iraqi history

• Documentary films, including Peace Letters to Nineveh, a collaborative short documentary produced by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, UNC-Greensboro, and the University of Mosul

• Open access educational resources

Scholarly Partnerships

Archive Iraq has organized and hosted academic conferences in partnership with institutions including the University of Mosul, New York University, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Duke University, and the North Carolina Consortium for Middle East Studies. Its hybrid 2023 conference, Archive Iraq: Repairing Collective Memory of the Anglo-American Invasion and Occupation, was hosted across multiple universities.

Access

The archive is freely accessible online at archiveiraq.org and operates as an open access resource for scholars, students, journalists, and the public.