This book explores the relationship between the process of state formation and political identities in the context of Sudan's conflict. It examines conflict and politics of identity in the Sudan. It argues that neither race, nor culture is at the center of the Sudan's tragedy. Instead, it is the racialized postcolonial state that imposed a single vision of nation through the policy of Arabization and Islamization. Idris examines how an ideology of hierarchy was historically constructed and politically institutionalized in the Sudan, acknowledging the centrality of the historical legacy of slavery and colonialism in the crisis of postcolonial citizenship in the Sudan.

The 2011 split of Sudan into two nations - and the conflicts that have continued in its wake - has made it a case of ongoing significance for understanding security and state-building in sub-Saharan Africa. Examining both the north-south divide in the two Sudans as well as the spread of political violence from Darfur, this timely study has two aims: First, it shows how slavery and the legacies of colonialism continue to shape the challenges of state formation and political identity. Secondly, it charts out a possible path for overcoming historical obstacles to achieve inclusive citizenship and representative democracy.

This book explores the relationship between state formation and political identities in the context of Sudan's conflict. Idris examines how hierarchy was historically constructed and politically institutionalized in the Sudan, acknowledging the centrality of the historical legacy of slavery and colonialism in Sudan's postcolonial crisis

The 2011 split of Sudan and the conflicts that have followed make it a case of ongoing significance for understanding state-building in Africa. Examining both the north-south divide and the spread of violence from Darfur, this study shows how colonial legacies have shaped state formation and charts out a path to inclusive citizenship and democracy.