| Unit name | Sudan: Colonialism, Separation and the Politics of Disaster |
|---|---|
| Unit code | SPAIM0016 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | M/7 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24) |
| Unit director | Emeritus Professor. Duffield |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Pre-requisites |
none |
| Co-requisites |
none |
| School/department | School of Sociology, Politics and International Studies |
| Faculty | Faculty of Arts, Law and Social Sciences |
Having recently formally separated into the Republic of Sudan and South Sudan, the countries previously known as Sudan occupy a unique and troubled position at the interface of the African and Arab worlds. First as part of the Ottoman Empire and then a prime example of British liberal imperialism, since the nineteenth century what became known as North and South Sudan have defined each other through antagonistic relations of cultural difference. Such tensions lie at the heart of the recurrent humanitarian crises that have defined recent decades and the growing internal involvement UN agencies, NGOs and donor governments. The unit examines the interconnections between the colonial past, the humanitarian present and the eventual separation of North and South. As a form of extended case study, it gives empirical and historical depth to such concepts as colonialism, liberal interventionism, internal war, development and security, humanitarian intervention, the responsibility to protect and global governance. The unit aims are:
• to use Sudan to introduce students to the continuities and changes connecting the colonial and post-colonial worlds. • to explore the overlap between colonialism, development and humanitarian emergency. • to demonstrate how humanitarian emergencies mirror important changes in the relationship between the state, its people and the outside world. • to explore how the UN and NGOs operate in emergencies and how their modes of operation have changed over time. • to foster a critical awareness of how emergencies justify and shape relations of local and global governance.
On completion of the unit students should: • demonstrate a broad understanding the continuities and changes between the colonial past and the humanitarian present in Sudan; • with reference to Sudan understand the changing nature of international humanitarian intervention and its key institutions and relations; • be familiar with the analysis of colonialism, development and humanitarian emergency as forms of governance; • be aware that the connections, interventions and institutions identified in Sudan have a wider international application; • to augment written and presentation skills
1 hour lecture combined with 1 hour seminar. This format will allow the tutor to deliver a capsule summary of the week’s main topics in ways that explicitly and implicitly link into the unit’s learning outcomes. The seminars, which will include weekly presentations, put the onus on the students to address these same concerns also directed to the learning outcomes.
Formative Assessment: Students will each be required to do one 10-minute presentation that critically and synthetically engages with the week’s relevant readings.
Summative Assessment (100%): Students will be required to write a 3,500-4,000 word essay on a choice of titles provided by the tutor.
Both types of assessment are explicitly linked to the objectives of the learning outcomes, and the presentation topics and essay titles set by the tutor will address one or more of the broad concerns of the unit identified in the learning outcomes.
Johnson, Douglas H. 2003. The Root Causes of Sudan's Civil Wars. Oxford: International African Institute/James Curry. Holt, P M, and Daly M W. 2000. A History of the Sudan: From the Coming of Islam to the Present Day. Longman. Flint, Julie, and Alex de Waal. 2005. Darfur: A short history of a long war. London: Zed Books. de Waal, Alex. 1997. Famine Crimes: Politics and the Disaster Relief Industry. London: African Rights and the International Africa Institute with James Currey. Jok, Jok Madut. 2001. War and Slavery in Sudan. University of Pennsylvania Press. Gallab, Abdullahi. 2008. The First Islamic Republic: Development and Disintegration of Islamism in the Sudan. Aldershot: Ashgatge
