Birth of a State: Rethinking South Sudanese Collective Identity through Identity Anchors

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Kuir ë Garang

Abstract

Following the independence of South Sudan in 2011, the coherence of South Sudanese “national” identity has come into question. Before the Southern secession, Northerners were united by a common language and religion, but Southerners did not have this uniting reality. For this reason, scholars now wonder whether there is a collective South Sudanese identity because the sine qua non of unity among South Sudanese tribes was a collective opposition to Northern Sudan. However, the present article defends a collective South Sudanese identity based on how “nation-building” has been undertaken historically. It also argues that tribal diversity in itself does not negate the presence of a South Sudanese collective “national” identity because internal tribal divisions are a global phenomenon and “tribal” and “national” identities are activated contextually.

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How to Cite
Garang, K. ë. (2022). Birth of a State: Rethinking South Sudanese Collective Identity through Identity Anchors. Modern Africa: Politics, History and Society, 9(2), 5–37. https://doi.org/10.26806/modafr.v9i2.330
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Author Biography

Kuir ë Garang, York University

He is PhD Candidate in the School of Social Work, York University. He is currently writing a dissertation on the contemporary ethical implications of blackness as shaped by the colonial and slave regimes. His research interests include South Sudanese politics and history, racial and ethnic identity and their effects on governance, institutions, and service provision. He has been writing and commenting on South Sudanese politics and leadership performances for over a decade.