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Slavery in the Sudan: History, Documents and Commentary. By Mohamed Ibrahim Nugud. Translated by Asma Mohamed Abdel Halim and edited by Sharon Barnes. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2013. Pp. xxix, 184; tables, bibliography, index, notes. $85.00.
Muhammad Ibrahim Nugud (1930-2012) was an important figure in Sudanese politics, leading Sudan's Communist Party for over forty years. He was driven into hiding during the dictatorship of Ja'far Numayri (1969-1985), and again for thirteen years after the 1989 military-Islamist coup of 'Umar al-Bashir. He lived to see Sudan's longtime civil war result in the secession of the South and the entrenchment of Islamism in the North. At the time of his death in London, he must have been deeply disappointed.
Why did Muhammad Ibrahim choose to write his history of slavery in the Sudan and what was his academic training? When and where was his book originally published in Arabic? (This volume's introduction is signed "Khartoum, October 1993.") Clearly, he conducted research in Sudan, Egypt, and Britain, but when and under what circumstances? While he was in hiding? Did he enjoy the support of scholarly colleagues, especially Sudanese? The translator and editor of this volume provide no clues.
Furthermore, who is responsible for the notes that appear at the end of this book, the author or the translator? Obviously some...