Some of us who follow world affairs may have read or heard about the ongoing crisis in Sudan. It has been a topic circling through my group of friends and colleagues recently. The more discussions I had about the military crisis, the more I realized I didn’t have the slightest idea what Sudanese culture is like, nor did I have any idea what Sudan is like. This led me to do some digging, research, and learn more.
Photo By: Encyclopedia Brittanica, Inc.
Sudan’s history dates as far back as 2500 BC. Its history is filled with periods of war and being overtaken by other larger kingdoms. It wasn’t until 1956 that Sudan was deemed its own independent country. That didn’t last long, as a civil war between the northern and southern regions lasted from 1955 -1972 when a peace agreement was signed. In the years to follow, internal tensions were high and civil wars broke out from time to time. In 2011, South Sudan declared its independence. However, the most recent event that has the nation in the news is the 2023 military crisis.
Undoubtedly, many global powers want to establish and maintain peace in Sudan. The ongoing conflict turned violent and deadly in mid-April as two generals fought each other over control. The armed forces in Sudan are primarily supportive of Gen Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, who is considered the country’s effective leader, whereas the paramilitary groups comprising the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a coalition of militias, are led by Gen Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, also known as Hemedti, a former warlord. A couple of significant points of contention between the two sides are proving difficult to resolve, leading to growing concerns regarding the stability of the greater region of Africa.
The country of nearly 48 million citizens speaking primarily Arabic and English has, like any nation, a unique culture of its own. Unfortunately, studies on this specific culture have been limited due to political and military conflicts. The country’s economic structure has also not been very conducive to supporting cultural studies. As a result, many cultural values studies choose to place Sudan in a cluster with other Arab or African cultures.
However, I was able to find an interesting scientific research article that did not typecast Sudanese culture with Arabic or African clusters. This article was a recent study conducted in 2019 by Hassan and her team to compare specific Sudanese cultural values to the Arab and African clusters. I compare their work with another research article that uses Hofstede’s clusters to determine the rankings of the cultural values of Sudan published in 2017 by Pirju.
The results of the two research articles, one by Hassan et al., and one written by Pirju’s, resulted in contradictory findings. Pirju relied more heavily on Hofstede’s initial research in which Sudan was often clumped with either one of two African clusters or the Arab cluster. On the other hand, Hassan et al.’s data was solely collected through the surveys their team conducted.
The findings demonstrated in today’s article are an excellent example as to why it is important to be cautious about clumping certain countries into clusters. You will find that not every country within a cluster has the same or similar values. That goes to say that not every individual from a specific country has cultural values that align perfectly with the country’s cultural values.
Scores of national cultures of Sudan and Arab countries as determined by Hassan and their team of researchers
Photo By: Hassan, Ilham & Mansour, Ilham & Mohammed, Dalia & Diab, Elzubier & Shibeika, Aisha & Mohamed, Hesham. (2019). INVESTIGATING DIMENSIONS OF SUDANESE NATIONAL CULTURE: A COMPARATIVE OUTLOOK. 1. 445-452.
Social surveys, like cultural values surveys, are challenging to dissect for countries so divided by an ethnic faultline. In Sudan’s case, the north comprises primarily Arab communities and native groups, while the south’s demographic consists mainly of traditional African communities who are generally Christian or Animist. In other words, if clumping Sudan into a cultural cluster, the north is more closely related to Egypt and Arabic cultural cluster countries, while the south can be grouped and generally has cultural similarities with traditional African cultures (Pirju, 2017).
Hassan et al. (2019), on the other hand, conducted a 700-person survey, receiving responses from 640. Of these 640 that were returned and used for the study, “340 (53%) were males and 300 (47) were females. More than 85 % of the respondents were between 20 and 40 years old. About 55% of the respondents were students, whereas 28% were employees in the public and private sectors, and 17% were Self-employed” (2019). While this seems like a solid representation of data, the respondents all live and work in Khartoum. With that in mind, there can be some biases and differences. Had respondents been from more rural areas around Sudan, rather than its capital, they may have differing values.
Now, with all that said, let’s jump in…
(As a friendly reminder, below is a chart of Hofstede's Cultural Dimensions Model with rankings.)
Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions Framework
Power Distance
Regarding the power distance index scale ratings, Pirju (2017) ranks Sudan very high, with a rating of 80. Pirjiu argues this is “an expression of high emotional distance in society, a hierarchical dependence and a tremendous polarization of the society (rich and poor people)”. On the other hand, the survey conducted by Hassan et al. two years later found that Sudan’s average power distance rating is 27, much lower than Hofstede’s ratings of African (77-80) and Arab (80) clusters. So, according to Hassan et al., Sudanese prefer a low power distance societal structure that values egalitarian behavior towards others. Polarization between economic and social classes as exhibited by African and Arabic clusters would be frowned upon if this is an accurate rating.
Individualism Vs. Collectivism
Pirju’s findings concerning individualism vs. collectivism show that Sudan ranks 39, meaning it is a more collectivist society. Pirju defends this ranking by looking at Sudan’s historical economy. Sudan follows a “primitive system of economic values” where caring for agriculture and livestock was central to the daily survival of the community. The survival of the community takes precedence over individualistic wants and needs. Hassan et al.’s research shows that Sudan actually ranks much higher with a score of 79, in line with other individualistic cultures. This finding is interesting because it contradicts the belief that Arabic countries that prefer a large power distance are generally more collectivist. Yet, according to Hassan et al.’s findings, Sudan has proved that its cultural values, so far, are opposite of Arabic countries.
Masculinity Vs. Femininity
Regarding masculinity versus femininity, Pirju found that Sudan ranks 53. So, slightly more on the masculine side of the spectrum. Hassan et al. found that Sudan has a rating of 26, meaning it has cultural tendencies that align with feminine cultural values. Hassan et al.’s rating is slightly lower than that provided by Hofstede’s research on Arab and African clusters. However, these findings seem to track and there is weight in the mutual understanding and agreement that “Arabs and Africans, as well as Sudanese, are all considered to be close to the feminine side of the masculine-feminine continuum in that they care about establishing a friendly relationship with other people and “work to live”, whereas in a masculine society, the belief is that a person “lives to work” (Hofstede, 2001)” (Hassan et al., 2019).
Uncertainty Avoidance
Regarding uncertainty avoidance, Pirju provides information claiming that Sudan rates 68 on the uncertainty avoidance scale. Sudan falls on the side of the scale that does not favor ambiguity. An interesting point that Pirju argues is that the country’s cultural “need to avoid the problems and uncertainty is having a negative impact on the economic performance in the Republic of Sudan,” comparing the situation to the US. They believe that the economic success of the US is predominantly due to its ability to perform and compete in an environment of ambiguity. While there is an argument to be made here, there are also other cultural and non-cultural variables that impact a country’s economic success, such as location, natural resources, weather, tolerance of differences, etc. Hassan et al. found that Sudan ranked 66 on the uncertainty avoidance scale. This is the first time that their findings align with the findings presented by Jirjui. Hassan et al., notes that the tendency to prefer harmony and avoid uncertainty results in behaviors such as less risk-taking and making “safer” decisions, and has concluded that in Sudan, these decisions are also made with the group in mind. In other words, harmony and cooperation are highly valued among the people.
Short Term Vs. Long Term Orientation
Pirju could not provide information regarding long term versus short term orientation, but Hassan and their team could. They found that Sudan ranks 43, meaning they tend to embrace and nurture values such as adaptation, perseverance, and thrift. According to Hofstede (2021), societies that rank lower on the long-term orientation spectrum families “tend to “show more respect and tolerance for other people, show more respect for tradition, consider status as not a major issue in relationships, and value leisure time” (Hassan et al.).
Why Understanding The Unique Differences Is Important
While there were varying cultural value ratings for Sudan depending on whether Sudan was rated based on a particular cluster (Arab or African) or as its nation, it is clear that Sudan has its own distinctive culture that is influenced by its ethnic makeup, history, and more. Understanding what makes Sudan unique and refraining from using cultural stereotypes when considering Sudan and other Arabic and African countries will help outsiders be able to better connect with, negotiate with, and help people in these countries in times of great need.
If you have more insights that you would like to share, questions, or a request to dive deeper please comment below. As always, Like. Share. Subscribe.
References:
Hassan, Ilham & Mansour, Ilham & Mohammed, Dalia & Diab, Elzubier & Shibeika, Aisha & Mohamed, Hesham. (2019). INVESTIGATING DIMENSIONS OF SUDANESE NATIONAL CULTURE: A COMPARATIVE OUTLOOK. 1. 445-452.
Pirju, I.S. (2017). Four Sudan`s Cultural Values – an International Benchmarking Analysis. Jurnalul de Studii Juridice, XII(3-4), 75-86. https://doi.org/10.18662/jls/15
Hofstede, G. (2001). Culture’s Consequences: Comparing Values, Behaviours, Institutions and Organizations across Nations, 2nd ed. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage