Explaining the process towards political separatism: The two cases of Southern Sudan's separatist conflicts

The purpose of this dissertation is to explain the factors that give rise to regionally-based separatist movements that challenge the territorial integrity of an independent, sovereign state. To explore the process that leads to political separatism, this study uses two separatist conflicts in Southern Sudan (1961-1972 & 1983-1997) as case studies. The dissertation examines the existing literature in order to assess the current knowledge about political separatism in general and the two separatist conflicts in Southern Sudan in particular. The study finds that most existing knowledge on political separatism has relied on singular factors, such as ethnicity or colonialism, to account for the complexity of separatist conflicts. Noting the limitations of monolithic explanations, this study recognizes a need for an integrated model that is less reductionist. Hence, the dissertation incorporates relevant contextual variables into a broader analytical scheme that is more suitable for generating a fuller explanation of the process of political separatism. Specifically, this study identifies four contextual factors as essential for the emergence and sustenance of separatist movements: (A) territorially-based ethnic groups that constitute a majority in an ethnically or otherwise distinct region that is part of an independent state; (B) actions and reactions of the central government in its dealings with the disadvantaged group; (C) separatist leadership and organizations; and (D) tangible and intangible assistance by international actors to the separatist group. The study concludes with a consideration of the implications of this broader model of political separatism for future research on separatist conflicts.