This PHD project aims to provide a regional perspective on the history of civil conflict in the Sudan since independence. It makes use of rich empirical material from field work and unpublished sources to examine and elaborate existing theories on civil wars and the state. The analysis starts with two distinct conflicts: the first civil war in the southern Sudan (1955–72) and the second civil war in the southern Sudan (1983–2004). It traces interregional economic and political networks among elites and relates these to geographically disaggregated quantitative studies of conflicts and weak states. The overall perspective will be comparative and interdisciplinary (i.e. history, political science, economics and anthropology).
Supervisors:
Endre Stiansen, PRIO
Helge Pharo, University of Oslo
