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Defining the Nation: National Identity in South Sudanese Media Discourse

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  • Ole Frahm

Abstract

This article examines debates about national identity in the media landscape of post-referendum and post-independence South Sudan. Having never existed as a sovereign state and with its citizens being a minority group in Sudan, collective action among South Sudanese has historically been shaped in response to external pressures: in particular, the aggressive nationbuilding pursued by successive Khartoum governments that sought to Arabize and Islamize the South. Today, in the absence of a clear-cut enemy, it is a major challenge for South Sudan to devise a common identity that unites the putative nation beyond competing loyalties to ethnicity, tribe and family. Analysing opinion pieces from South Sudanese online media and placing them in the context of contemporary African nationalism, this article gives an initial overview of the issues that dominate the public debate on national identity: fear of tribalism and regionalism, commemoration of the liberation struggle, language politics, and the role of Christianity.

Suggested Citation

  • Ole Frahm, 2012. "Defining the Nation: National Identity in South Sudanese Media Discourse," Africa Spectrum, Institute of African Affairs, GIGA German Institute of Global and Area Studies, Hamburg, vol. 47(1), pages 21-49.
    • Handle: RePEc:gig:afjour:v:46:y:2012:i:1:p:21-49
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    File URL: http://hup.sub.uni-hamburg.de/giga/afsp/article/view/519/517
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Kohnert, Dirk, 2008. "Entfremdung und Ausgrenzung: Afrikas neuer Nationalismus in Zeiten der Globalisierung," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 58(2), pages 197-222.
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    Cited by:

    1. Tamilina, Larysa, 2021. "The Dynamics of National Identity and Pride Formation in Ukraine," MPRA Paper 111033, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    2. Tamilina, Larysa, 2021. "A comparative analysis of confidence to the CIS between Ukraine and Russia," MPRA Paper 111155, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    3. Tamilina, Larysa, 2022. "A Comparative Analysis of Worries About a War in the Context of Ukraine-Russia Relations," MPRA Paper 111587, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    4. Tamilina, Larysa, 2022. "Making A Difference Through Similarities: A Comparative Analysis Of Social Trust Formation Between Ukraine And Russia," MPRA Paper 115405, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    5. Tamilina, Larysa, 2022. "Political factors as possible determinants behind the sense of identificationwith the nation, state, or society: hte case of Ukraine and Russia," MPRA Paper 115406, University Library of Munich, Germany.

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