Other identities: Politics of Sudanese discursive narratives

Most Sudanese authors who have written about the nationality question in th e Sudan have been personally involved in Sudanese politics, have held polit ical offices, or have become advocates for the cause of one or another poli tical liberation front. This unique position makes their contributions to t he debate on ethnicity and nationalism not only tense, but also means that these writings contain influential political messages. This paper examines the works by major Sudanese authors who have contributed discursive narrati ves that express their individual political sentiments and simultaneously t hose of the ethnic groups to which they belong. It then assesses the impact of this committed agency on the construction and deconstruction of Sudan h istory and the subsequent use of the meaning of history in the struggle for defining the essential elements of a Sudanese national identity.