James Currey Hawks and Doves in Sudan's Armed Conflict: Al-Hakkamat Baggara Women of Darfur: 39 (Eastern Africa Series)

Review Hawks and Doves won the 2019 Aidoo-Snyder prize awarded by the Women's Caucus of the United States based African Studies Association. It well deserves to be recognised as a valuable contribution to scholarship on Darfur and Sudan more broadly. ― SUDAN STUDIESThis is a book that every student of the pastoralist societies of Sudan and Chad should read carefully. Musa does a fantastic job of transcribing and translating the songs of the al-Hakkamat. I was impressed with the breadth of coverage of this significant and singular institution.Musa's book is a welcome addition to the 'chorus' of academic voices in African studies trying to make sense of social voices such as Al-Hakkamat. ― AFRICAN STUDIES REVIEW Product Description Al-Hakkamat Baggara women hold an instrumental position in rural Sudan, wielding agency, social and political power. This book uncovers their significant, but widely overlooked, role during the war in Darfur from the 1970s to today's continuing conflict. The author examines the influence they exercised through composing and reciting poems and songs, informal speech and other symbolic acts, and analyses their impact in the social and political domains. Challenging the pervasive portrayal of women as natural peacebuilders and their roles as passive and submissive, the author highlights how Sudan's state government co-opted al-Hakkamat Baggara women to lobby on its behalf, to rally for war and to advocate for peace. Understanding how they can contribute to the resolution and resettlement processes is vital to sustainable reconciliation and post-conflict transformation of the unstable state. About the Author Suad M.E. Musa (PhD) is a Freelance Consultant on gender and women's issues. She worked with the government of Sudan and with CSOs and INGOs in the Horn of Africa and Britain. She also worked as Assistant Professor of Sociology at Qatar University.