A Tale of Two Banks of A river: A Critical Study of Ethnonyms in the Toponymies of Rufa’a and Hassahiesa, Sudan

Abstract

This study investigates the use of ethnonyms in the toponymies of Hassahiesa and Rufa’a areas in Gezira State, Sudan. Using the principles of Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) and Discourse Historical Approach (DHA), the study analyses place names as arenas of power struggle and explores the additional functions they play. It studies the distribution of ethnonyms in the names of 1161 villages and the impact of the historical, socio-political, and economic factors on their choice. The study shows that there are two types of ethnonyms used in the two areas and that their distribution is more widespread in the toponymies of Rufa’a than in that of Hassahiesa. It further shows that the unequal distribution of ethnonyms is the result of herders’ migrations to the Butana plain and the introduction of the agricultural scheme and light industries in Gezira. The study demonstrates that the inhabitants of Rufa’a used ethnonyms as a passive resistance strategy to challenge state power. On the other hand, the decreased number of the feature in Hassahiesa is an indication of its farmers’ population integration in the colonial development projects and their tendency to form multi-ethnic and cooperative communities. It indicates that ethnonyms are utilized as identity constructive and perpetuating strategies and as boundary demarcation markers. Keywords: Critical Discourse Analysis, Discourse Historical Approach, Ethnonyms, Toponymy, Sudan.