Past, present and future: Fifty years of anthropology in Sudan

Abstract

This book is about the history of anthropology in Sudan. Contributors to the book represent different generations of anthropologists who at some point in time either taught at the department in Khartoum or had some sort of connection to it. They also represent different countries: Sudan, Norway, United Kingdom, United States, Germany, and France. Some contributors taught at the department during the 1960s and 1970s, and they represent different traditions of anthropology. British, American and Norwegian anthropologists were part of the department staff during the early days and brought different experiences and traditions of anthropology to Sudan. Their involvement in both teaching and research directed the orientation of the discipline in Sudan and influenced Sudanese anthropologists. The chapters in this book therefore illustrate the diversity and dynamism of anthropology in Sudan and also show how the discipline developed in relation to the specificities of a developing country like Sudan. Through teaching and research, foreign and Sudanese anthropologists contributed to development efforts in Sudan to the extent that the topics with which they engage are relevant to local development needs. Sudan anthropology has been important for world anthropology. The seminal contributions of E. E. Evans-Pritchard, Fredrik Barth, Ian Cunnison, and Talal Asad remain classics in anthropology. The department also occupies a prestigious position in the region: it played important roles in establishing an anthropology department in Ethiopia, and teaching anthropology in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.