New Books in Middle Eastern Studies Zainab Saleh, "Political Undesirables: Citizenship, Denaturalization, and Reclamation in Iraq" (Stanford UP, 2025)
Jan 24, 2026
Zeynep (Zainab) Saleh, Associate Professor of Anthropology at Haverford College and author of Political Undesirables, studies migration, displacement, and citizenship law. She explores mass denaturalization in Iraq, tracing legal roots from 1924 nationality rules to expulsions of Iraqi Jews and Iraqis of Iranian origin. She discusses archival research, memoirs, and the politics of state rhetoric and belonging.
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Neighbors Suddenly Vanished
- Zeynep Saleh recalls neighbors vanishing in 1980 when Saddam's regime labeled them Iraqis of Iranian origin.
- Her childhood memory taught her citizenship can be taken away and forces impossible choices on families.
Denaturalization Grew From Colonial Practice
- Denaturalization in Iraq evolved from colonial deportation practices into a legal tool under citizenship laws.
- It became an instrument governments used to discipline political opponents and consolidate power.
Return Required Harrowing Compromise
- Saleh recounts neighbors returning only after the mother became a Ba'ath informant and the husband lived abroad.
- She emphasizes these returns involved impossible moral compromises under state pressure.
