During the days of the Iraq War, the U.S. military set up mock Middle Eastern villages on domestic bases for training purposes. People were paid to role play as Iraqi civilians, as different scenes and situations were set up to prepare American soldiers during boot camp for what it may be like overseas.

Claire Beckett, who resides in Swampscott and always has had a passion for photography, made her way to these training grounds equipped with a very large camera. Beckett took hundreds of photos of people, landscapes and the fake villages that were assembled.

Nearly two decades later, the photographs Beckett took have been assembled into a book, titled “Defense Language.” The book is meant to explore how Arabs and Muslim people were portrayed by the United States during this time period. Beckett spoke to a crowd at Swampscott Public Library on Thursday, previewing images featured in the book and detailing what she saw at the training grounds.

“I really would like Americans to question how we construct ideas of ourselves and how we construct ideas of other cultures,” Beckett said.

Around the time the photographs from her “Simulating Iraq” project were taken, between 2007 and 2012, Beckett was not exactly sure what she would end up doing with them.

“The creative process is not linear,” she said. “There are many twists and turns.”

During her presentation Thursday, Beckett pointed out many inconsistencies that were on display in the fake villages, such as discrepancies between the clothing actors wore versus actual clothing worn by Arabs during the time. She also noted the inaccurate, fake mosques that were placed in each room the military designed.

Beckett pointed out that a great deal of taxpayer money was spent on these projects by the military.

“This is a culmination of a body of work I call ‘Simulating Iraq,’” said Beckett, adding that the collective is meant to consider how the U.S. plays its role geopolitically.

As Beckett showed pictures she took to the audience, she, along with the rest of the room, examined how Muslim people are portrayed and perceived in each piece.

Beckett’s photography can be found on display in museums and galleries around the country and beyond, including at the Museum of Fine Arts and the National Portrait Gallery. Her work can also be seen and Defense Language can be purchased at clairebeckett.com.

“It’s incredible to see the culmination of so much work and realize it as a finished project,” said Beckett.