From assimilation to confrontation: Macro- and micro-level processes of acculturation and cultural pluralism in the Blue Nile Region, the Sudan

Abstract

ABSTRACT It is difficult to understand the processes of assimilation and confrontation in the Blue Nile Region without placing them in the wider context of the peculiar conditions of the Sudan. This is because the conflict in the region is a manifestation of a broader national crisis, which is attributed to macro-level processes (i.e. historical events, colonial policies and post-colonial socio-economic and political developments) that caused the emancipation of a minority that was generally situated in the country's centre, claimed Arabic descent and was of the Islamitic faith. This minority was able to maintain a stronghold over political power and economic resources. As a result, the greater geographic parts of the Sudan and the millions of Sudanese who reside there have been condemned to political disempowerment and marginalisation. This article focuses on the Blue Nile Region, looking at the macro- and micro-level processes of acculturation that have historically, and in modern times, transformed from processes of assimilation to processes of confrontation.