Independence, Islamism, and Modernity

Abstract

Only in a formal sense did independence in 1956 mark a new era in Sudanese history. “The hated foreign oppressor finally disappeared, not with a bang or even a whimper,” noted one observer. The “final hasty scramble” to independence obscured the fact that not much changed. The date marked little more than the Sudanization of key administrative posts as the new national coalition government simply took over the existing system (Sanderson 1973: 106–8). It defined its agenda, however, in terms of arabic-speaking culture and Islam, and in that sense marked a definite break with colonial policies. It was also sharply divided by sectarian rivalries (Holt and Daly 1979: 161–68), and the racial and ethnic tensions that plagued the new state were already apparent.¹