Robert S. Kramer is Professor of History at St. Norbert College
where he has taught African and Middle Eastern history since 1989.
He first visited Sudan in 1986-87 and has been following it closely
since then. During this time he has written numerous articles and
book chapters on Islam and Muslim societies in Africa and also
produced a book, Holy City on the Nile: Omdurman during the
Mahdiyya. He was already a co-author of the third edition of this
book.
Robert A. Lobban, Jr. is Professor Emeritus of Anthropology at
Rhode Island College, where he served as Director, Program of
African and Afro-American Studies. He, too, has written
extensively, including co-authoring the second and third
editions.
Carolyn Fluehr-Lobban is Professor Emeritus of Anthropology and was
Director of General Education at Rhode Island College. Like her
husband, she is an old Sudan hand, and has visited frequently and
written extensively, this including co-authoring the second and
third editions.
Since the third edition was published, the Republic of Sudan has
been partitioned, leading to the independence of the Republic of
South Sudan in July 2011. As a result of this major development,
this dictionary has been greatly expanded to include much new
information on political parties, militias, towns and cities, and
the civil war, among many other topics. In addition, new maps,
charts, illustrations, and tables have been added. Authors Kramer,
Lobban, and Fluehr-Lobban are experts active in the Sudan Studies
Association. They deserve commendation for trying "to project a
Sudanese point of view to avoid or minimize Eurocentrism; where
Sudanese judgments differ we have tried to present multiple and
sometimes contradictory views."
Similar to the other titles in Scarecrow's historical dictionary
series, this work primarily includes A-Z entries covering people,
politics, social issues, institutions, and events. In addition, it
features maps (of uneven quality), an extensive chronological time
line, and an unannotated bibliography. A very brief bibliographic
essay provides evaluations of some useful sources. Especially
helpful is the much lengthier introduction on the history of the
country from the advent of Islam through postindependence. For
coverage of much earlier times, see Lobban's Historical Dictionary
of Ancient and Medieval Nubia. A recurring problem with Scarecrow's
historical dictionaries is that the entries do not cite any
sources, making it very difficult for students and researchers to
do follow-up research. Nevertheless, this is an outstanding
ready-reference source providing hard-to-find information on one of
the most important countries on the African continent. Summing Up:
Highly recommended. Lower-level undergraduates and above; general
readers.
*CHOICE*
The Historical Dictionary of Sudan, like its predecessor, starts
with the rise of Islam. It concludes with Sudan partitioned into
two countries. As with other Historical Dictionaries in the series,
it begins with a chronology that has brief entries for the period
from 5000 B.C.E. to the 1400s (the time period covered in the
Historical Dictionary of Ancient Nubia) and fuller ones from 1504
to 2012 (the time period of this volume). An introductory essay
precedes the alphabetic entries about people, places, events, and
more. The seven appendixes are: a current factfile;
ethno-linguistic groups in or adjoining the Sudan; sultans;
eighteenth- and nineteenth-century administrators; 1890 agreement
for the administration of the Sudan; political structure and
administration; and educational institutions. There is an extensive
bibliography broken down into areas such as historical, political,
economic, cultural, and more. It includes electronic sources as
well as books, journal entries, and audio-visual materials. This
work is intended to be a comprehensive reference and research tool
for undergraduates and generalist researchers and helpful to
specialists in Sudan and African/Middle Eastern studies.
*American Reference Books Annual*
I would recommend this book to any library with an interest in the
region, or in international relations in general, as one of the few
balanced resources on an area of potential major conflict.
*s*
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