Who Owns the State?: A Qualitative Inquiry of the Failed Construction of National Identity in Postcolonial Sudan

OpenAlex · İngilizce

ABSTRACT This article examines why Sudan has struggled to construct an inclusive national identity in the postcolonial era. Drawing on original qualitative data from interviews with Sudanese intellectuals, activists, and professionals, it explores how ethnic marginalisation, uneven development, and authoritarian governance have fragmented the national project. The findings are based on semistructured interviews conducted between September and December 2024 with Sudanese academics and intellectuals. The study identifies the following three interrelated dynamics: the lack of a cohesive postcolonial vision, the symbolic use of ethnicity without real inclusion and the suppression of cultural diversity under Arab‐Islamic narratives. Participants highlighted that national belonging is shaped not only by symbolic recognition but also by access to resources and political voice. Despite resistance to Arabisation, Arabic remains embedded in religious and cultural life. The article concludes that a viable Sudanese civic identity requires a commitment to equitable development and inclusive governance and that Arabic, while historically contested, may serve as a linguistic foundation for a more inclusive national identity.