South Sudan: Post-Independence Dilemmas

Description

South Sudan: Post-Independence Dilemmas is an interdisciplinary collection of essays which engages with the failure of the newest African State to transition itself successfully to a state and nation after its independence in July 2011. The contributors explore the prospects for new modes of politics capable of simultaneously healing and reconciling the divided communities while moving the country beyond divisive ethnic identities. As they focus on the political, historical, legal, or cultural challenges presented in the process of state formation, the chapters situate South Sudan’s dilemma in its history of political elitism and gender violence, and the role of international actors in order to examine the effects of these factors and the national mechanisms which have attempted to address them. By foregrounding the relationship between the crises of the state and the politics of ethnicity in South Sudan, the book explores new potentialities in finding an alternative pathway redirect and unleash the creative energies and capacities of the peoples in South Sudan for meaningful social and economic development. As such, it will be of interest to scholars of African Politics and State Building. Cover Title Copyright Contents Contributors List of abbreviations and acronyms Map Preface 1 Unpacking South Sudan’s political violence: history, identity, and citizenship 2 The curse of elitism: South Sudan’s failure to transition to statehood and nationhood 3 Oil, economic development, and community in South Sudan 4 Conflict, customary law, gender, and women’s rights in South Sudan 5 South Sudan’s elusive peace: between local drivers of violence and the actions of external actors 6 Constitution making and the challenges of state building in South Sudan Epilogue Index