Abstract of the Talk:

At the heart of “Transforming Sudan: Decolonization, Economic Development and State Formation” (Cambridge University Press, 2017) is the concept ofan “economizing logic.” I develop the concept of an “economizing logic” inorder to explain how Sudanese policymakers even working with the best ofintentions and using state of the art decision-making frameworks coulddevelop and enact development plans and budgets that upheld racial andregional inequalities.  Without relying on narratives about corruption or ethnic and religious chauvinism, I use the case of Sudan to demonstrate howmid-twentieth century concepts of development and international relationsmade it inevitable that Sudanese policymakers and many of their globalcontemporaries would emphasize catching up more than equality. My researchis based on extensive archival work in the National Records Office ofSudan, British and American archives as well as international financialinstitutions, such as the World Bank.

Brief Bio of the Speaker:

Alden Young is a political and economic historian of Africa. He is particularly interested in the ways in which Africans participated in the creation of the current international order. Starting in July 2019, Young will be an assistant professor of African American Studies and a faculty member in the International Institute at UCLA. In 2019-2020, Young will be a member of the School of Social Science at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton. Previously, he was an assistant professor in African History and the Director of the Africana Studies Program at Drexel University.  His first book is Transforming Sudan: Decolonisation, Economic Development and State Formation was published by Cambridge University Press in December 2017.