Hawks and Doves in Sudan's Armed Conflict - (Eastern Africa) by Suad M E Musa (Paperback)

About the Book

Analyses the involvement of the agro-pastoral al-Hakkamat Baggara women of Darfur in Sudan's recent civil wars and the implications of this for conflict resolution and peacebuilding.

Book Synopsis

Analyses the involvement of the agro-pastoral al-Hakkamat Baggara women of Darfur in Sudan's recent civil wars and the implications of this for conflict resolution and peacebuilding.

WINNER OF THE 2019 AIDOO-SNYDER BOOK PRIZE

Al-Hakkamat Baggara women hold an instrumental position in rural Sudan, wielding agency, social and political power. This book uncovers their significant, but widely overlooked, role during the war in Darfur from the 1970s to today's continuing conflict. The author examines the influence they exercised through composing and reciting poems and songs, informal speech and other symbolic acts, and analysestheir impact in the social and political domains. Challenging the pervasive portrayal of women as natural peacebuilders and their roles as passive and submissive, the author highlights how Sudan's state government co-opted al-Hakkamat Baggara women to lobby on its behalf, to rally for war and to advocate for peace. Understanding how they can contribute to the resolution and resettlement processes is vital to sustainable reconciliation and post-conflict transformation of the unstable state.

Suad M.E. Musa (PhD) is a Freelance Consultant on gender and women's issues. She worked with the government of Sudan and with CSOs and INGOs in the Horn of Africa and Britain. She alsoworked as Assistant Professor of Sociology at Qatar University.

Review Quotes

Hawks and Doveswon the 2019 Aidoo-Snyder prize awarded by the Women's Caucus of the United States based African Studies Association. It well deserves to be recognised as a valuable contribution to scholarship on Darfur and Sudan more broadly.-- "SUDAN STUDIES"

This is a book that every student of the pastoralist societies of Sudan and Chad should read carefully. Musa does a fantastic job of transcribing and translating the songs of the al-Hakkamat. I was impressed with the breadth of coverage of this significant and singular institution. .Musa's book is a welcome addition to the 'chorus' of academic voices in African studies trying to make sense of social voices such as Al-Hakkamat.-- "AFRICAN STUDIES REVIEW"