Anthropology of Law in Muslim Sudan analyses the hybridity of law systems and the plurality of legal practices in rural and urban contexts of contemporary Sudan, shedding light on the complex relation between Islam and society.

Few studies exist which deal with Islamic law in practice, and this is among the first such studies in the English language for Islamic Africa. It is significant that the present study was completed just prior to the extension of Islamic law as the sole governing law in the Sudan in 1983, for it captures many essentials of the Shari’a as it has been applied for decades prior to this important change. Numerous movements for reform and change are discussed in the book, which reflect the contemporary debate in the Sudan over the position of Shari’a in society.

Based on fieldwork largely collected during the CPA interim period by Sudanese and European researchers, this volume sheds light on the dynamics of change and the relationship between microscale and macroscale processes which took place in Sudan between the 1980s and the independence of South Sudan in 2011. Contributors’ various disciplinary approaches—socio-anthropological, geographical, political, historical, linguistic—focus on the general issue of “access to resources.” The book analyzes major transformations which affected Sudan in the framework of globalization, including land and urban issues; water management; “new” actors and “new conflicts”; and language, identity, and ideology.

A Muslim scholar with extensive experience in Africa, T. Abdou Maliqalim Simone was recruited by the Islamic fundamentalist Shari‘a Movement in Sudan to act as consultant for its project to unite Muslims and non-Muslims in Khartoum's shanty towns. Based on his interviews with hundreds of individuals during this time, plus extensive historical and archival research, In Whose Image? is a penetrating examination of the use of Islam as a tool for political transformation. Drawing a detailed portrait of political fundamentalism during the 1985-89 period of democratic rule in the Sudan, Simone shows how the Shari‘a Movement attempted to shape a viable social order by linking religious integrity and economic development, where religious practice was to dominate all aspects of society and individuals' daily lives. However, because Sudanese society is remarkably diverse ethnically and religiously, this often led to conflict, fragmentation, and violence in the name of Islam. Simone's own Islamic background leads him to deplore the violence and the devastating psychological, economic, and cultural consequences of one form of Islamic radicalism, while holding to hope that a viable form of this inherently political religion can in fact be applied. As a counterpoint, he ends with a discussion of South Africa's Call of Islam, which seeks political unity through a more tolerant interpretation of Islam. As an introduction to religious discourse in Africa, this book will be widely read by students and scholars throughout African Studies, Religious Studies, Anthropology, and Political Science.

Introduction: In search of the Islamic state -- Of shaykhs and kings : the making of Sudanese Islam -- Civilizing religion -- In search of certainty -- The country that prays upon the Prophet the most : the aesthetic formation of the Islamic state -- Politics in an age of salvation -- Epilogue: escaping the Islamic state?

After the 1989 Islamist coup in Sudan, the National Islamic Front under General Omar al-Bashir and Dr. Hasan Turabi attempted to institutionalise, codify and implement Shari'a law throughout the country. However, by 2005, with the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement ending 22 years of civil war, the government agreed to halt its policy of Islamisation in the South. Shari'a and Islamism in Sudan explores how Sudanese society has been transformed by this period of implementation of Islamic Law, and furthermore asks, what are the continuing effects of this policy? And what are the implications of the Peace Agreement for the future of Islamist politics in Sudan and of the country? With data drawn from Carolyn Fluehr-Lobban's most recent research in the region, this book is a vital and unique examination of the nature of the Sudanese state and society, offering invaluable insight for all those interested in the politics, society, and the future of Sudan and the nature of political Islam.