The Root Causes of Sudan's Civil Wars (African Issues) [Paperback]

Douglas H. Johnson (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0253215846 | ISBN-13: 978-0253215840 | Publication Date: January 2, 2003

Sudan's post-independence history has been dominated by long, recurring, and bloody civil wars. Most commentators have attributed the country's political and civil strife either to an age-old racial and ethnic divide between Arabs and Africans or to colonially constructed inequalities. In The Root Causes of Sudan's Civil Wars, Douglas H. Johnson examines historical, political, economic, and social factors to come to a more subtle understanding of the trajectory of Sudan's civil wars. Johnson focuses on the essential differences between the modern Sudan's first civil war in the 1960s, the current war, and the minor conflicts generated by and contained within the larger wars. Regional and international factors, such as humanitarian aid, oil revenue, and terrorist organizations, are cited and examined as underlying issues that have exacerbated the violence. Readers will find an immensely readable yet nuanced and well-informed handling of the history and politics of Sudan's civil wars.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Anyone wanting to understand this African tragedy should read Douglas Johnson's The Root Causes of Sudan's Civil Wars ...Mr. Johnson offers a brilliant analysis of the war and its causes written in simple, clear prose. THE ECONOMIST Douglas Johnson has written a landmark book that deserves not only to change the nature of Sudan studies but how we think of war, peace and development generally. It is a task for which he is well qualified. As a historian with an anthropologist's eye, his interests span pre-colonial, colonial and post-colonial conditions. Unique among contemporary writers, Johnson has not only made major contributions to the historiography of Sudan and the interpretation of its rich ethnography, he has also worked for the aid agencies that now populate much of this country. From this wide vantage point Johnson's critical book succeeds in rescuing Sudan from the heart of darkness that continues to be conjured by whistle-stop journalists and self-serving NGOs. Writing from the perspective of South Sudan he also addresses the long-standing bias in Sudan studies and the international mediation efforts in the current war: an implicit affirmation and tacit collusion with the expansive institutions of northern Arab society at the expense of its politically disadvantaged African hinterland... Douglas Johnson has written an important book. Not least, because it brings politics back into the North-South equation...Only with self-determination being a real option - something that successive governments have fudged or rejected - is there a possibility to negotiate a robust and equitable settlement. Without this, as in the past, peace will be a smoke-screen behind which the political antagonism between free and servile subjects will continue its violent and destructive work. - Mark Duffield in JOURNAL OF REFUGEE STUDIES This authoritative and detailed study of Sudan's contemporary conflicts aims to discourage quick fix thinking by tracing the historical patterns of power and politics that have brought the country to its current impasse...Never just a matter of competition between religions, races, or regions, Sudan's multiple internal conflicts today are as seemingly intractable as ever, despite serious peace efforts. Students and researchers will benefit from the extended bibliographic essay and chronology included in this excellent book. FOREIGN AFFAIRS --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Douglas H. Johnson teaches history at St. Antony's College, Oxford University. He has worked with various relief agencies and relief efforts in the Sudan.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Indiana University Press (January 2, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0253215846
• ISBN-13: 978-0253215840
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #264,447 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #32 in Books > History > Africa > Sudan
  • #55 in Books > History > Africa > East Africa
  • #60 in Books > History > Africa > North Africa

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a knowledgeable big-picture view about an underserved topic, June 4, 2006

By 

Kirk Huff - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Root Causes of Sudan's Civil Wars (African Issues) (Paperback)

After reading this book, you will laugh at newspaper reports that describe the conflict in Sudan as between "the Muslim north and Christian and animist south". Johnson not only has extensive academic publications in Sudanese ethnography and historiography, but also worked in the aid field in the country. He is also, in a well-sourced, calm and clearly presented manner, outraged at how thoroughly misunderstood the situation in Sudan is. The detail in this book is amazing. I consider myself fairly knowledgeable in an armchair kind of way about southern Sudan, and was consistently being presented with either facts of which I was unaware or, better yet, syntheses tying together various fields in a historical perspective. The offensives, famines, factionalism within southern groups, agricultural schemes, external mediators, forced displacement patterns, and competing aid agencies are all here, and presented so one can see the linkages. This is one of the rare books in which, for example, the connection between the timing of government offensives to seasonal rainfall is convincingly fit within framework of underdevelopment as a political strategy.

There are a couple points that made me consider moving this down to four stars. One is that Johnson is clearly partisan to the south. He is not fatally so in my opinion, describing some very unflattering characteristics and actions of Garang's faction, and making his bias clear from the beginning. By the end of the book, he also makes a strong case that "neutrality" has been misused or abused in the context of the Sudanese wars, and led me to muse that his outrage seems to spring from his knowledge, versus some writers about southern Sudan whose outrage impedes their learning. I also occasionally found the division of the book in its latter section into thematic sections confusing, especially in cases where the text would refer to later chapters for more information about a mentioned event or process. Fortunately, the appendix includes both a detailed chronology from 1972 through 2001 and a pretty good topical index for when I needed a bit of help orienting myself. The extensive annotated bibliography would be quite useful for some people. There is also the rather obvious issue that the book was written prior to the finalization of the peace agreement and death of Garang, which makes me anxious for an update.

Bottom line: If you want to know about the conflicts in Sudan between 1983 and 2001, then this is the book. If you've read other works on Sudan, you'll be astonished at how thoroughly Johnson annihilates the common wisdom. And whoever you are, you may come to share some of Johnson's outrage.

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A NEW AND EXCITING VIEW OF SUDANESE ISLAM AND ITS' ROOTS, May 17, 2005

By 

mfradin42 "Murray S. Fradin" (New York City (USA)) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Root Causes of Sudan's Civil Wars (African Issues) (Paperback)

An intriguing book that adopts a new slant on the development of Islam in the Sudan. Author Johnson shows us, step by step how the rise of states in this region and their relations with neighbors and the West resulted in a different form of religious expression. The Dervishes that fought the British at the end of the 19th century were imbued with a fervor, according to Johnson that reflected a long-developed process of assimilation and adaptation to both the Northern Arab, the Southern African and he West in general - the colonial experience. It is a fine addition to Francis Deng's great book, WAR OF VISIONS. I found THE ROOT CAUSES OF SUDAN'S CIVIL WARS a very enlightening read. As the author of a new book on the Sudan, JIHAD: THE MAHDI REBELLION IN THE SUDAN, I must include this volume into any meaningful understanding of historical forces in this region. TOP RATED!!!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Recommended for experts, not necessarily for beginners, March 2, 2010

By 

Will Jerom (Florida, USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Root Causes of Sudan's Civil Wars (African Issues) (Hardcover)

If you are an expert on Sudan, or know quite a bit already, this book may be 4-star book. If you are only a beginner, who knows little, this book is probably not for you, and you would only get "two stars" out of it. For those not so well-versed, I recommend Jok Madut Jok's book on "Sudan, Race ,Religion and Violence." Douglas Johnson's book is written with the assumption that its audience has some familiarity with Sudan already. All others will get quickly lost in the details of the Sudanese conflict, which are quite extensively (if not exhaustively) presented. The writing can tend to be very academic and dry in parts, but the patient reader will glean some real gems of wisdom - or perhaps I should say hot coals of horror - for the intolerance and blindness which has helped perpetuate this conflict really staggers the mind of all people accustomed to peace and tolerance in a democratic society. This work goes to show that unfortunately most people do not have that experience, as the people in Sudan are locked in a conflict that is "racist" and "religion-ist", while they struggle to lift themselves out of poverty. Again experts or those avid or patient enough will get a lot out of Johnson's book - but the reading will not be easy, especially if you have no real prior knowledge of the Sudanese conflict.