Koalib is one of the aboriginal languages of the Nuba Mountains. It belongs to the Heiban branch of the Kordofanian family. The Koalib ethnic group is made up of approximately 200,000 people (estimate for 2011), the majority of whom... more
Koalib is one of the aboriginal languages of the Nuba Mountains. It belongs to the Heiban branch of the Kordofanian family.
The Koalib ethnic group is made up of approximately 200,000 people (estimate for 2011), the majority of whom speak Koalib. However, a large proportion of the Koalib now no longer live in their homeland which was ravaged by fighting between the government and SPLA supporters during the second Sudanese civil war, which lasted from 1983 (Prunier 1989: 414-426) to 2002 in the South Kordofan area (when a local cease-fire was agreed between the SPLA and government troops). Indeed, during the war, tens of thousands of Koalib found refuge in Sudanese cities, particularly in Khartoum, where I began studying Koalib in 2000 during my first field-trip, before visiting Koalib-speaking villages in the Nuba Mountains from 2001 onwards. Since the formal signing of a peace agreement between the Khartoum government and the SPLA (on 9 January 2005), there has been a reverse flow of Koalib, who are now leaving the Sudanese cities and
relocating back in the Koalib homeland. However, the Koalib diaspora continues to represent a considerable proportion (probably over 50%) of individuals who consider themselves to be ethnically Koalib. All linguistic data presented in this article are derived from the Rere (ŋèrɛ́ɛɽɛ̀) dialect, spoken in the centre of the Koalib area (in the localities of Dere and Abri, see Quint 2009: 20-23, 2006b: 23-25). It has a written tradition dating back 80 years, linked to the arrival in 1923 of the first Protestant missionaries in Abri (Spartalis 1981: 58-59; Stevenson 1984: 72).
This thesis analyzes the main historical phases of the Sudanese state-building in order to find the causes which fuel conflict in the peripheries of the State, with a specific focus to the Nuba Mountains. The Nuba Mountains aren't in the... more
This thesis analyzes the main historical phases of the Sudanese state-building in order to find the causes which fuel conflict in the peripheries of the State, with a specific focus to the Nuba Mountains.
The Nuba Mountains aren't in the geographical centre of the coutry anymore and they represent a paradigmatic case of political, social and economic periphery of the Sudanese State.
The analysis on the causes which fuel conflict is combined with the exploration of the survival strategies of the peoples of the Nuba Mountains.
What are the social and economic powers during the colonial times? Which forces take the control of the country when it will become independent? In the post-colonial period the State expands its powers and different elites alternate to govern the Sudan.
The relationship between religion and politics is complex but really important to consider in order to understand the path towards 1989.
The identity issue and the religion question are treated considering the evolution of the socio-economic relations in the Nuba Mountains.
Eventually, and beyond the 2011 secession, the thesis underscore what's happening in the present thanks to a double level analysis that combines national and local interpretation of the Sudanese context.
Italian version Questa tesi ripercorre le fasi storiche della costruzione dello stato sudanese e le analizza con l’obiettivo di individuare le cause che generano conflitto nelle sue regioni periferiche, con specifico riferimento alla regione dei Monti Nuba. Nonostante i Monti Nuba siano al centro geografico del vecchio Sudan, essi rappresentano un caso paradigmatico di periferia politica, sociale ed economica dello stato sudanese. L’analisi delle cause generatrici di conflitto si combina con il cambiamento delle strategie di sopravvivenza delle popolazioni dei Monti Nuba. Viene analizzato il periodo coloniale per capire quali siano i poteri economici e politici che prendono in mano le redini del governo all’indipendenza. Del periodo post-coloniale si considera l’espansione dei poteri dello Stato e l’alternarsi di diverse elite politiche al potere. In questo contesto si analizza la complessità del rapporto tra gruppi religiosi e potere politico. La questione identitaria a sua volta viene trattata secondo l’evoluzione dei rapporti socio-economici delle popolazioni dei Monti Nuba. Infine, l’analisi delle diverse fasi della costruzione dello stato sudanese in particolare nelle sue ripercussioni a livello locale cerca di comprendere come i conflitti sudanesi siano diventati strutturali.
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Koalib is one of the aboriginal languages of the Nuba Mountains. It belongs to the Heiban branch of the Kordofanian family. The Koalib ethnic group is made up of approximately 200,000 people (estimate for 2011), the majority of whom speak... more
Koalib is one of the aboriginal languages of the Nuba Mountains. It belongs to the Heiban branch of the Kordofanian family. The Koalib ethnic group is made up of approximately 200,000 people (estimate for 2011), the majority of whom speak Koalib. However, a large proportion of the Koalib now no longer live in their homeland which was ravaged by fighting between the government and SPLA supporters during the second Sudanese civil war, which lasted from 1983 (Prunier 1989: 414-426) to 2002 in the South Kordofan area (when a local cease-fire was agreed between the SPLA and government troops). Indeed, during the war, tens of thousands of Koalib found refuge in Sudanese cities, particularly in Khartoum, where I began studying Koalib in 2000 during my first field-trip, before visiting Koalib-speaking villages in the Nuba Mountains from 2001 onwards. Since the formal signing of a peace agreement between the Khartoum government and the SPLA (on 9 January 2005), there has been a reverse flow of Koalib, who are now leaving the Sudanese cities and relocating back in the Koalib homeland. However, the Koalib diaspora continues to represent a considerable proportion (probably over 50%) of individuals who consider themselves to be ethnically Koalib. All linguistic data presented in this article are derived from the Rere (ŋèrɛ́ɛɽɛ̀) dialect, spoken in the centre of the Koalib area (in the localities of Dere and Abri, see Quint 2009: 20-23, 2006b: 23-25). It has a written tradition dating back 80 years, linked to the arrival in 1923 of the first Protestant missionaries in Abri (Spartalis 1981: 58-59; Stevenson 1984: 72).