Author name:
محمد وعيد مهدي سلطان العزاوي
Supervisor name:
عبد الرحمن ادريس صالح
Abstract:
The historian’s responsibility is no less important than that of the governor, and, if the latter will be subjected to criticism or hold responsible in case of being mistaken, the former will be criticized by all generations to come after him. Iraq is loaded with a great number of historians, scientists, literati, thinkers and politicians who had a significant role in building its special civilized personality. Many of them has got what they deserve of study, care and the sufficient documentation of their biography as well as identifying their accomplishments, while light was not sufficiently shed on some others.Recently, academic and scientific efforts are started to afford due attention to those scholars via providing them the deserved attention after a career full of creativity and bestowal in developing scientific, intellectual and educational researching. Therefore, a group of superior studies are conducted in various Iraqi universities concentrating on academic, intellectual and scientific persons. Those studies are not restricted to deal merely with dead scholars, but there appeared tendencies to study them in their life time in order to reward them in addition to documenting their biographies and methodologies in front of their sight. The present study is stemming from this notion, and thus, it comprises two sides or facets; the first is the scientific, academic side which is worthy of study, and the second is the humanitarian side including honoring and rewarding the person under study “Dr. Hashem Saleh Eltikriti”, hoping to show due gratitude to such great scholar.Therefore, it is a must in this study to document the influence of Dr. Hashem Saleh who is a source of pride to all those working in the discipline of modern and contemporary history in Iraq. He is regarded a rich mine of varied history information to the extent that his publications become indispensable references in a vital epoch in modern and contemporary history due to the fact that, in his eventful career, he witnessed various political and social changes taking place in Iraq from the 40s of the previous century up to the now. Then, he was an eye witness on this period of time in Iraq’s contemporary history. Moreover, he clearly contributed in documenting and writing down important parts in the period and the ones before. Thus, this scholar is chosen to be considered to identify and clarify the role of this great historian in the process of writing the modern and contemporary history of Iraq, as well as identifying the intellectual, political and economic struggles accompanying his career and their influence on the thoughts and visions of this historian which are mirrored in his publications and scientific efforts.According to the nature of the study, it is divided into an introduction, five chapters, and a conclusion. The first chapter deals with the Hashem Saleh’s social and scientific biography up to 1989. Chapter two is dedicated to the study of Hashem Saleh’s intellectual notions, his position in the political life he witnessed inside and outside of Iraq, his attitude towards some of the political occurrences in Iraq and the Arab Homeland in addition to the whole area in general. The third chapter tackles Hashem Saleh’s Method in in history writing and the bases this scientific and educational approach relied on. Furthermore, these efforts are chronologically classified and arranged in tables and items.Chapter four of the study is allocated to the analysis of Hashem Saleh’s publications (books and papers) that are published before 2008, the ear of his retirement, then his contract with the University of Baghdad and being a professional Professor in it. The fifth and last chapter is devoted to the analysis and study of Hashem Saleh’s books after 2008.the conclusion comprises of the most important conclusions through evaluating the data in the course of the study.The thesis made use of various references which number and variety can be noted in the notes and bibliography. In the foremost of them came the book files of the University of Baghdad. Moreover, the General Retirement Directorate provided invaluable documents and information concerning Dr. Hashem Saleh conveyance announcements among others. The Books and Documents Centre/ Baghdad also provided a number of publications that contributed in shedding light on important aspects of the study. These files included Ministry of Planning annual reports and a number of the Ministers Cabinet decisions. The study has also depended on a number of newspapers contemporary to the historian under study, thus forming a genuine source that enriched the study for they contain references and essays in relation to the nature of information relied on by Dr. Hashem shaping then his tendencies. Furthermore, some certain these ad dissertations related to the study are also included and made use of.Arabic and translated references are yet still a principal and significant source of drawing comparisons and clarifying the information referred to by Dr. Hashem Saleh in his books and papers. In concordance to this attitude, interviews formed an integral part in enriching the study with vital information not found in the other sources.Therefore, general conclusions are made through what is hence mentioned in the chapters of this study starting from the foundation of various factors that contributed to forming Hashem Saleh’s personality who is a descendant of a religious family which embraced Sufism as intellectual, social way and approach. The social environment he livedintellectual inclinations, in addition to the role his father played in his life in caring and directing him in the right way as well as improving and encouraging the scientific and cultural spirit inside of him. It can safely assumed that Hashem Eltikriti’s intellectual and cultural inclinations were formed during his study years in the High Teachers Institute in Baghdad, forming then the first leftist ideas in him. He is also influenced by Marxist beliefs that are set and developed in his mind by his Soviet Professor Elia Savage Kalkin when studying in the Candidates in the former Soviet Union. Moreover, it is also obvious that he is influenced by the Soviet orientalists’ ideas upon finishing his studies and then trying to spread their notions and views via his translation of various books and publications by those orientalists.Hashem Eltikriti’s command of Russian and English in addition to Arabic, learned through his studies and tours to many countries and comparing life in those countries to that in Arab societies, assisted and positively reflected on his style of writing which is characterized by a clear cut methodology increasing objectiveness and accuracy in transmitting information to students he taught, supervised or discussed.
