Bidding Farewell to the Ancient City of Ashur: A Qualitative Case Study of the Social and Cultural Impacts of the Makhoul Dam in Iraq

Abstract: This qualitative case study explores through semi-structured Interviews the social and cultural impacts of the Makhoul Dam, planned as part of Iraq’s climate change mitigation work. It was based on the research question: How do local individuals experience the Makhoul Dam’s impact on their home environments including the surrounding archaeological sites? And supported by the two operational questions: How are individuals in the dam-affected areas wellbeing and identity interlinked to their native areas including the surrounding archaeological sites? and How does the Makhoul Dam including its decision making process affect individuals in the dam-affected areas’ wellbeing and identity? By using Albrecht's theory of solastalgia, the theory of place attachment, where a broader definition of the theory was applied and community participation theory, eight sub-themes were identified under three main themes; “Our Area”, Who’s decision? and Wellbeing and identity. These showed that individuals in the dam-affected areas wellbeing and identity were strongly linked to their native areas including the surrounding archaeological sites through different attachments, and different identity formations; place identity, community identity and cultural identity. The findings further showed how individuals native areas, including the archaeological sites and the attachments to these, contributed positively to local individuals' identity construction and wellbeing through feelings of relaxation, stress relief, inner peace or solace. It also showed that the Makhoul Dam, through threatening to flood the area and the archaeological sites, and forcibly relocate local individuals, would affect their wellbeing negatively through feelings of distress, grief and fear of breaking social bonds and concerns for the future. These were in turn strengthened by individuals feeling abandoned and left outside the decision making process of the Makhoul dam which they linked to previous experience of displacement.