“Transforming Displaced Womenin Sudan is one of the most powerful ethnographies of war, displacement, and forced migration I have read. The book provides cultural analysis of marginalization as well as local articulation of reconciliation in the context of inter-communities’ search for peaceful coexistence. Its explication of gender as it intersects with major trends in Sudanese state and society is superb. As a Sudanese scholar, I find its interweaving of culture and politics—issues that lie at the very heart of Sudan’s political future—truly masterly.”

Salah Hassan, Cornell University

“Abusharaf’s study is urgent anthropology and feminist ethnography at its best and is one of the most valuable contributions to studies of displaced people—at once personal, lucid, fluid, urgent, and theoretically compelling. She has crafted a powerful portrait of displaced women that is devoid of romanticization and tales of victimization. The women of the camps, asking in various ways, ‘Who are we becoming?’ are engrossed in everyday negotiations with other camp dwellers, with the state, and with themselves, while trying to sustain themselves in grim situations and move forward. Abusharaf portrays these journeys with respect, sensitivity, and insight.”

Sondra Hale, University of California, Los Angeles