Sudan - An Analysis of the British Colonial Policy and its Legacy

Mémoire de Maîtrise , 2009 , 13 Pages , Note: 90

Politique - Région: Proche-Orient

In 1900 Bernard Shaw completed the difficult task of drafting the Fabian’s society position in the manifest Fabianism and the Empire. The society’s progressive program advocated for socialist values, social justice and women rights. Against the background of these modern and leftist values though, the society’s position on imperialism is somehow astonishing. One of the motives for its supportive stand on imperialism lies in the yet valid division they made between domestic and international politics. Edward Pease’s The History of the Fabian society addresses the international system, for example under terms of efficiency and colonialism. According to him “the only valid moral right to national … possession is that the occupier is making adequate use of it for the benefit of the world community.” From the “International Socialist point of view” national sovereignty and noninterference are not acceptable and the world must strive for an “international civilization” according to socialist merits. Pease as well as Bernard Shaw in Fabianism and the Empire accept colonialism as a fact and furthermore they illustrate the Great Powers’ advance as colonizers “only [as] a question of time.” Their exclusive focus was the benefit of the British Empire without a minimal consideration of the dignity or the right to self-determination of the people the British were occupying and exploiting. “As for parliamentary institutions for native races, that dream has been disposed of ... [t]hey are as useless to them as a dynamo to a Caribbean.” Following this theoretical background, the ensuing paper will focus on the British colonial policy in Sudan. Edward Shaw points out two possible “imperial policies” of which the second is “a bureaucratic policy where the majority consists of colored natives.” This illustrates one of the policies the British attempted to implement in Sudan after their conquest of 1899. This paper will analyze various approaches of the British administrative in Sudan, as Indirect Rule and Native Administration. Beyond it, it will address the policy’s aims and actual results with which the Sudanese had to cope and which still interfere greatly in the daily reality of Sudan. It will try to draw connection between the actual situation in Sudan, and especially in Darfur, and the colonial legacy of the British policies.

Inhaltsverzeichnis

• Sudan: An Analysis of the British Colonial Policy and its Legacy
• The British Colonial Policy in Sudan
• The First Period after the British Conquest of Sudan
• Indirect Rule and Native Administration
• The Policy of 'Tribalization'
• Conclusion
• Bibliography

Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte

This paper analyzes the British colonial policy in Sudan, focusing on the implementation of Indirect Rule and Native Administration. It examines the aims and actual results of these policies, highlighting their impact on Sudanese society and the legacy they left behind. The paper explores the connection between the colonial past and the current situation in Sudan, particularly in Darfur.

• The British colonial policy in Sudan
• Indirect Rule and Native Administration
• The policy of 'tribalization'
• The legacy of British colonialism in Sudan
• The connection between the colonial past and the current situation in Sudan

Zusammenfassung der Kapitel

The first period after the British conquest of Sudan was marked by a firm military rule, driven by the British's fear of a resurgence of Mahdism. The British sought to suppress any support for the Mahdist movement, viewing traditional institutions like tariqas with suspicion. They attempted to establish an orthodox Islam under their control, but this effort failed due to the lack of influence of the Board of Ulama they established. The ban on tariqas was eventually lifted as the British sought to influence the population for their benefit.

Indirect Rule, initially implemented through Native Administration, aimed to govern Sudan through tribal hierarchies. This policy of 'tribalization' transformed tribes from ethnic realities into administrative units, with devastating consequences for the colony. The British sought to prevent the emergence of an "effendi class" of Egyptian functionaries and to counter the growing authority of Sayyid 'Abd al-Rahman and his son, leaders of the Mahdist movement. The statutory framework for Indirect Rule was established in 1922 with the 'Powers of Nomad Sheikhs Ordinance,' which granted administrative and judicial power to sheikhs and tribal leaders. This excess of power corrupted the very tradition of tribes, as the source of a leader's authority shifted from his relationship with the clan to his relationship with the colonialists.

One of the main motives for Native Administration was to minimize the cost of occupying Sudan and the need for English or Egyptian administrators. The policy of 'tribalization' relied on the "collective responsibility of the tribe for the acts of its individual," allowing the British to maintain order without deploying large government forces. The British authorities began to identify the Sudanese population within tribal terms in 1922, aiming to distinguish between nomads and sedentary populations for easier administration and taxation. This policy solidified tribal boundaries and made it difficult for people to move between different lifestyles, which had been customary and necessary for survival in Sudan.

Schlüsselwörter

The keywords and focus themes of the text include British colonial policy, Sudan, Indirect Rule, Native Administration, 'tribalization', Mahdism, tariqas, and the legacy of colonialism. The text examines the impact of these policies on Sudanese society and the connection between the colonial past and the current situation in Sudan, particularly in Darfur.

• Université: Ben Gurion University
• Cours: European Colonialism in the Middle East
• Note: 90
• Auteur: Sophie Duhnkrack (Auteur)
• Année de publication: 2009
• Pages: 13
• N° de catalogue: V141506
• ISBN (ebook): 9783640509218
• ISBN (Livre): 9783640509522
• Langue: anglais
• mots-clé: analyzing aspects of the British administrative in Sudan, policy’s aims and actual results, Darfurian region