Board of Trustees, Boston University

Sudan in Africa. Studies Presented to the First International Conference Sponsored by theSudan Research Unit, 7-12 February 1968 by Yusuf Fadl HasanReview by: John VollThe International Journal of African Historical Studies, Vol. 6, No. 2 (1973), pp. 351-354Published by: Boston University African Studies CenterStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/216790 .

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BOOK REVIEWS 351

a vastly improved bargaining position with the United States and conversely would weaken the Israeli one" (p. 127). The Arabs could place heavier pres- sure upon "oil America" to influence national policy. Meanwhile, such a drift would increase the Jewish community's fear, "which, solidly based as it is, is father to the Arab-Israeli conflict" (p. 127).

In the last section of this book, "The Future of Palestine," four men, Max- ime Rodinson, Noam Chomsky, Edward Said, and Eqbal Ahmad, address them- selves to this vital question. Each scholar sees Palestine as representing at once a rock-like basic problem and an opportunity for building a more stable fu- ture. None is optimistic, each is hopeful, all recognize the enormous stakes. Rodinson of the Sorbonne places his faith in an international morality which could lead to, an "egalitarian co-existence of the two ethnic groups" (p. 183). Chomsky's civilized, balanced accolunt places some hope in a federal political structure which coluld result in a democratic, free, socialist society. This co,m- mon revolutionary purpose is the thesis of Said's view of the Palestinian movement, linked, again hopefully, with progressive Israeli elements. Ahmad's short commentary expresses a preference for a binational autonomous arrange- ment under which both societies would keep their communities in a common decentralized socialist direction. He, as do other contributors to this book, sees Israel under imperialist domination, a state of affairs (or mind) Chomsky does not share.

A final resolution taken by this Third Annual Convention of the AAUG "recognizes the Palestine Resistance Movement as the only legitimate libera- tion movement of the Palestinian people and as the vanguard of the Arab revolution" (p. 208). This candid volume can help us pursue the road of truth and compromise in the Middle East. It will be a target of some literary, academic, and special interest artillery.

RICHARD M. BRACE

Oakland University

SUDAN IN AFRICA. STUDIES PRESENTED TO THE FIRST INTERNATIONAL

CONFERENCE SPONSORED BY THE SUDAN RESEARCH UNIT, 7-12 FEBRU-

ARY 1968. Edited with an introduction by Yusuf Fadl Hasan. Khartoum: Khartoum University Press, 1971. Pp. 316.

The position of the Sudan in relation to the world regions around it is a com- plex one. It occupies an intermediate position between the Arab-Middle Eastern and the sub-Saharan African worlds. Sudan in Africa is a collection of twenty papers dealing with various aspects of the Sudan's place in the latter. They are the product of a conference sponsored by the Sudan Research Unit of the University of Khartoum in February 1968. The main objective of the conference, as, noted in the introduction, "was to emphasize points of con-

BOOK REVIEWS 351

a vastly improved bargaining position with the United States and conversely would weaken the Israeli one" (p. 127). The Arabs could place heavier pres- sure upon "oil America" to influence national policy. Meanwhile, such a drift would increase the Jewish community's fear, "which, solidly based as it is, is father to the Arab-Israeli conflict" (p. 127).

In the last section of this book, "The Future of Palestine," four men, Max- ime Rodinson, Noam Chomsky, Edward Said, and Eqbal Ahmad, address them- selves to this vital question. Each scholar sees Palestine as representing at once a rock-like basic problem and an opportunity for building a more stable fu- ture. None is optimistic, each is hopeful, all recognize the enormous stakes. Rodinson of the Sorbonne places his faith in an international morality which could lead to, an "egalitarian co-existence of the two ethnic groups" (p. 183). Chomsky's civilized, balanced accolunt places some hope in a federal political structure which coluld result in a democratic, free, socialist society. This co,m- mon revolutionary purpose is the thesis of Said's view of the Palestinian movement, linked, again hopefully, with progressive Israeli elements. Ahmad's short commentary expresses a preference for a binational autonomous arrange- ment under which both societies would keep their communities in a common decentralized socialist direction. He, as do other contributors to this book, sees Israel under imperialist domination, a state of affairs (or mind) Chomsky does not share.

A final resolution taken by this Third Annual Convention of the AAUG "recognizes the Palestine Resistance Movement as the only legitimate libera- tion movement of the Palestinian people and as the vanguard of the Arab revolution" (p. 208). This candid volume can help us pursue the road of truth and compromise in the Middle East. It will be a target of some literary, academic, and special interest artillery.

RICHARD M. BRACE

Oakland University

SUDAN IN AFRICA. STUDIES PRESENTED TO THE FIRST INTERNATIONAL

CONFERENCE SPONSORED BY THE SUDAN RESEARCH UNIT, 7-12 FEBRU-

ARY 1968. Edited with an introduction by Yusuf Fadl Hasan. Khartoum: Khartoum University Press, 1971. Pp. 316.

The position of the Sudan in relation to the world regions around it is a com- plex one. It occupies an intermediate position between the Arab-Middle Eastern and the sub-Saharan African worlds. Sudan in Africa is a collection of twenty papers dealing with various aspects of the Sudan's place in the latter. They are the product of a conference sponsored by the Sudan Research Unit of the University of Khartoum in February 1968. The main objective of the conference, as, noted in the introduction, "was to emphasize points of con-

This content downloaded from 194.29.185.158 on Fri, 9 May 2014 20:54:04 PMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

352 BOOK REVIEWS

tact, similarities and contrast between the Sudan and neighbouring African countries" (p. 1). The articles represent a wide variety of approaches tol the subject. Although there is some variation in quality, as should be expected in as large a collection as this, there is a remarkably high standard maintained throughout the book. The specialist will not only find articles of direct inter- est to, him, but, if he' lets his attention wander to other articles, he will also find them stimulating.

The book is organized along generally chronological lines, with thirteen papers in part one, "The Sudan in the Past," and seven in the second part, "The Sudan Today." Although each part is subdivided into sections such as "Islamic Influences and: Reform Movements," the introduction (p. 4) sug- gests a different division, more efficient for review purposes. There Yusuf F. Hasan notes that the papers fall into, roughly three categories: those examin- ing the Sudan's relationships with neighboring countries, those looking at border areas or making comparative studies, and those dealing with issues within the Sudan but relevant toi Africa as a whole.

Ali A. Mazrui, in "The Multiple Marginality of the Sudan," has written what could be considered a basic typology for the other papers of the first type. Mazrui observes that the Sudan is not so much a bridge between the Negrol and Arab African worlds as it is a frontier zone with a double identity (pp. 240-241). He then discusses the Sudan's place in terms o'f a series of frontiers on which the Sudan finds itself. These are defined in terms o'f cul- ture, religion, national integration, East and West Africa, and language.

The other papers analyzing Sudan's relations with its neighbors are more specific. The periods, of Meroitic and Nubian civilizations are covered in arti- cles by B. G. Haycock and Peter Shinnie. Both of these are useful surveys of current research and provide a balanced approach, noting that the influence of the Sudan during these' early periods has been overstated by some scholars. Haycock's article is of special interest in describing the place of the Sudan in relation to' ancient Egypt and toi black Africa. A useful survey of current re- search on early relations of the Sudan with East Africa is presented by Mer- rick Posnansky, and two articles outline Sudanese-Ethiopian relations. M. W. Aregay and S. H. Selassie discuss these relations during the Funj period, pro- viding a helpful summary of information found in Ethiopian chronicles. The other paper on Ethiopian relations is by George Sanderson., who covers all of the nineteenth century but pays most attention to the era of the Mahdist state. Sanderson suggests that relations with the Sudan had an important role in the process of Ethiopian imperial unification.

Yusuf Hasan, the editor of the collection, also has a paper on Sudanese re- lations in terms of Islamic influences. Here the emphasis is on outside factors influencing the nature of Sudanese Islam. All of the other articles in the sec- tion on Islamic influences either deal with border areas or arel comparative. In this category is the article by R. S. O'Fahey on the Kayra sultanate of Dar Fur. O'Fahey provides a general description of trade and religion and notes a

This content downloaded from 194.29.185.158 on Fri, 9 May 2014 20:54:04 PMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

BOOK REVIEWS 353

shift in the direction of religious influences late in the eighteenth century, changing from a movement from West Africa to a movement from the, Nile Valley. In many ways this study is related to! the paper on the east-west pil- grims' route, or "Sudan road," by Umar al-Naqar. Here the relatively late de- velopment of this; route is outlined. Another paper by Muhammad al-Hajj briefly outlines the career of Hayatu b. Said, the descendant of Uthman dan Fodioo who claimed allegiance to the Sudanese Mahdi. The most general of the articles dealing with Islam is a comparative study of Mahdism, Messian- ism, and Marxism in Africa by Thomas Hodgkin. This is a thought-provoking paper that poses many stimulating questions, and suggests possible, lines of

broadly comparative analysis. Other papers dealing with border areas in the past are a study by Mekki

Shibeika of the expansion of Khedive, Ismail's empire into the upper Nile, with special emphasis on the experience of Charles Gordon, and a paper by Robert Collins on Sudanese contacts in Central Africa. Collins presents a number of interesting observations about the mechanisms for the expansion of Islam. He feels that the petty merchant was a major vehicle for Islam and that as these small-scale commercial operators were forced out, the dynamism of Islam in the region also declined. A paper by W. R. James on social assim- ilation and changing identity in the southern Funj in the present also, notes the importance of the small-scale trader. In her interesting study James notes the importance of these people from outside the area in setting new values and goals for the local populace. In general the paper provides a useful case study of the mechanisms of changing identity patterns in the modern period. Another paper in the social anthropology section is a comparative study of

spirit possession in northeast Africa by I. M. Lewis. He suggests that the phe- nomenon may be a response to changing social conditions, and is manifested both in "main morality" and "peripheral" cults.

The third type of paper deals with a specifically Sudanese problem that is relevant to a broader African experience. These papers are remarkably sugges- tive suggestion that Native Administration after independence "provided a structure in the Sudan by Ja'far Bakheit is a good example. He provides a

description of the system not only as it operated under the British, but also as it continued after independence. In this discussion he makes the provoca- tive suggestion that Native Administration after independence "provided a link between the new institutions created as a result of decolonisation and the

people," and that its existence means that the Abbud regime "did not feel the need to, build popular organisations" (p. 275). Equally suggestive in many ways is the discussion of Islamic and customary law in the Sudan by Natale Akolawin. A more general survey of the development of the Sudanese identity is provided by Muddathir Abd al-Rahim.

Two other specialized papers provide bases for comparison in linguistics and genealogical analysis. R. C. Stevenson provides a general survey of lin-

guistic research that discusses a large number of studies. This could be made

This content downloaded from 194.29.185.158 on Fri, 9 May 2014 20:54:04 PMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

354 BOOK REVIEWS 354 BOOK REVIEWS

even more useful by more specific citations of important manuscript collec- tions which are mentioned but not identified. The discussion of genealogical classification in the Baqqara belt by Ian Cunnison is one of the best examples of a virtue of the book as a whole. It is a detailed analysis of a relatively lim- ited subject and yet it manages to touch on a wide range of significant issues in African and Sudanese studies. By the process of examining the validity of Baqqara classification by genealogy, Cunnison manages to provide insight into the process of social and cultural change as well as an interesting com- mentary on scholarly methodology. Much the same can be said for the book as a whole; although each paper deals with quite specific subjects, one finds throughout the book many ideas of much broader significance.

Taken as. a whole, the book shows what can be done at a truly international conference of scholars. The book is a worthwhile addition to the Africanist's library, and one can only hope that in the future such publications as this coming from the Khartoum University Press will be easier for individual scholars around the world to obtain. The scholar interested in the Sudan should experience only one major disappointment in reading the book. If he was not in Khartoum during February 1968, he will wish that he had been, so that he could have participated in this conference as well as read its papers.

JOHN VOLL

University of New Hampshire

THE STRUGGLE FOR SECESSION, 1966-1970: A PERSONAL ACCOUNT OF THE NIGERIAN CIVIL WAR. By N. U. Akpan. London: Frank Cass and Co., 1971. Distributed by International Scholarly Book Services, Portland, Oregon. Pp. xvii, 225. $11.00.

The growing number of books on the Nigerian civil war now includes a per- sonal account by a key civil servant in the government of what was at first the Eastern Region of Nigeria and then became for several years the state of Biafra. N. U. Akpan served as chief secretary to the government and as head of the civil service of the secessionist state. His credentials are impressive and his assertion of objectivity credible. He was not a member of the ethnic group dominant in the secessionist venture. He appears to have opposed rather con- sistently and! step by step the acts of commission and omission which eventu- ally led to secession and civil war. In so, doing, he courted disaster for himself and for his family. Indeed, his continuous opposition to the leadership of General Ojukwu and those who influenced him in an environment of suspi- cion bordering on hysteria leaves the reader somewhat incredulous. Why did General Ojukwu, who is portrayed in this book as a vain, arrogant, frequently quite irrational if not mad caudillo-like leader, not consign the obstreperous chief secretary to the same fate as several military officers and civilians whom

even more useful by more specific citations of important manuscript collec- tions which are mentioned but not identified. The discussion of genealogical classification in the Baqqara belt by Ian Cunnison is one of the best examples of a virtue of the book as a whole. It is a detailed analysis of a relatively lim- ited subject and yet it manages to touch on a wide range of significant issues in African and Sudanese studies. By the process of examining the validity of Baqqara classification by genealogy, Cunnison manages to provide insight into the process of social and cultural change as well as an interesting com- mentary on scholarly methodology. Much the same can be said for the book as a whole; although each paper deals with quite specific subjects, one finds throughout the book many ideas of much broader significance.

Taken as. a whole, the book shows what can be done at a truly international conference of scholars. The book is a worthwhile addition to the Africanist's library, and one can only hope that in the future such publications as this coming from the Khartoum University Press will be easier for individual scholars around the world to obtain. The scholar interested in the Sudan should experience only one major disappointment in reading the book. If he was not in Khartoum during February 1968, he will wish that he had been, so that he could have participated in this conference as well as read its papers.

JOHN VOLL

University of New Hampshire

THE STRUGGLE FOR SECESSION, 1966-1970: A PERSONAL ACCOUNT OF THE NIGERIAN CIVIL WAR. By N. U. Akpan. London: Frank Cass and Co., 1971. Distributed by International Scholarly Book Services, Portland, Oregon. Pp. xvii, 225. $11.00.

The growing number of books on the Nigerian civil war now includes a per- sonal account by a key civil servant in the government of what was at first the Eastern Region of Nigeria and then became for several years the state of Biafra. N. U. Akpan served as chief secretary to the government and as head of the civil service of the secessionist state. His credentials are impressive and his assertion of objectivity credible. He was not a member of the ethnic group dominant in the secessionist venture. He appears to have opposed rather con- sistently and! step by step the acts of commission and omission which eventu- ally led to secession and civil war. In so, doing, he courted disaster for himself and for his family. Indeed, his continuous opposition to the leadership of General Ojukwu and those who influenced him in an environment of suspi- cion bordering on hysteria leaves the reader somewhat incredulous. Why did General Ojukwu, who is portrayed in this book as a vain, arrogant, frequently quite irrational if not mad caudillo-like leader, not consign the obstreperous chief secretary to the same fate as several military officers and civilians whom

This content downloaded from 194.29.185.158 on Fri, 9 May 2014 20:54:04 PMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions