Ritual Formation of Peaceful Publics: Sacrifice and Syncretism in South Sudan (1991-2005)
In: Journal of Religion in AfricaSearch for other papers by Ross Kane in
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During the most violent days of Sudan’s civil war in the 1990s, a peacemaking initiative known as People-to-People Peacemaking emerged to address ongoing conflict perpetuated by rival Dinka and Nuer rebel movements. The ritual of bull sacrifice, a central feature of the peace process, sealed peace between Nuer and Dinka and formed public alliances between church leaders and kinship authorities represented by elders and chiefs. Joining indigenous and Christian practices in a single ritual space allowed inclusive participation by a variety of actors, many of whom interpreted the ritual quite differently. Utilizing various methods of ritual analysis, this essay suggests that a seemingly religious ritual enabled new forms of political action, previously unavailable through rebel movements’ politics or kinship politics. While rebel leaders often perpetuated political power by manipulating ethnic sentiments, elders and Christian leaders developed forms of politics based on peaceful coexistence and shared identity between Dinka and Nuer.
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Agwanda Titus & Harris Geoff ‘People-to-People Peacemaking and Peacebuilding: A Review of the Work of the New Sudan Council of Churches’ African Security Review 2009 18 2 42 52
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Ashworth John ‘The People to People Peace Process’ 2014 Unpublished paper
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Ashworth John & Ryan Maura ‘“One Nation from Every Tribe, Tongue, and People”: The Church and Strategic Peacebuilding in South Sudan’ Journal of Catholic Social Thought 2013 10 1 47 67
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Bell Catherine Ritual Theory Ritual Practice 1992 New York Oxford University Press
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Britt Samuel ‘ “Sacrifice Honors God”: Ritual Struggle in a Liberian Church’ Journal of the American Academy of Religion 2008 76 1 1 26
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Greenfield Sidney & Droogers André Reinventing Religions: Syncretism and Transformation in Africa and the Americas 2001 Lanham, MD Rowman & Littlefield
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Hutchinson Sharon Günter Schlee & Watson Elizabeth ‘Peace and Puzzlement: Grass-roots Peace Initiatives between the Nuer and Dinka of South Sudan’ Changing Identifications and Alliances in North-East Africa 2009 New York Berghahn Books 49 71
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4
See Hutchinson (2009), Ashworth and Ryan (2013), Redekop (2007), Agwanda and Harris (2009).
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11
See Bell (1992). Curtis Hutt (2009) provides a useful assessment of Bell as well as an overview of her reception among scholars.
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13
See Johnson (1994) for the pattern of Nuer prophets. I am also grateful to Noel Stringham for his insights on Nuer prophets.
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16
See Beidelman (1982), Jean and John Comaroff (1991), Gifford (1998), and Marshall (2009) for representative examples.
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Ritual Formation of Peaceful Publics: Sacrifice and Syncretism in South Sudan (1991-2005)
In: Journal of Religion in AfricaSearch for other papers by Ross Kane in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
During the most violent days of Sudan’s civil war in the 1990s, a peacemaking initiative known as People-to-People Peacemaking emerged to address ongoing conflict perpetuated by rival Dinka and Nuer rebel movements. The ritual of bull sacrifice, a central feature of the peace process, sealed peace between Nuer and Dinka and formed public alliances between church leaders and kinship authorities represented by elders and chiefs. Joining indigenous and Christian practices in a single ritual space allowed inclusive participation by a variety of actors, many of whom interpreted the ritual quite differently. Utilizing various methods of ritual analysis, this essay suggests that a seemingly religious ritual enabled new forms of political action, previously unavailable through rebel movements’ politics or kinship politics. While rebel leaders often perpetuated political power by manipulating ethnic sentiments, elders and Christian leaders developed forms of politics based on peaceful coexistence and shared identity between Dinka and Nuer.
| All Time | Past Year | Past 30 Days | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abstract Views | 851 | 67 | 7 |
| Full Text Views | 249 | 8 | 1 |
| PDF Views & Downloads | 58 | 20 | 2 |