Post-Partition and Sudanese Nationalisms: Rethinking What It Means to be a Northerner and a Southerner

Sudan, a troubled geography from its very existence, continues to confront numerous conflicts. At the core of these conflicts lies the unresolved issue of identity and identity politics. As nationalism takes many forms, Sudan remains a laboratory for divergent identities and nationalisms, each motivated by different concerns and expectations. This study aims to understand the fabric of nationalisms in Sudan in the post-partition era. Since it lacks the cultural domain and rises on the basis of political concerns and interests. The region, home to both Arabs and Africans—the main reason for partition in the first place—was partitioned to reveal their distinct cultural identities. For both Southerners and Northerners, the struggle to remove what has been imposed on them for years has given birth to North Sudan and South Sudan. However, both regions have once again experienced outside interventions, further complicating the national identity crisis. The study finds the efforts of nationalization void, since both of the Sudans are deprived of even fulfilling the requirements of being a state, let alone being a nation.