The book explores the intricate relationship between gender and state in shaping national identity in twentieth-century northern Sudan. It examines how state mechanisms and political groups leverage women's roles in both leftist and Islamist movements to establish cultural hegemony. Through fieldwork from 1961 to 1988, the author analyzes how women navigate and sometimes reshape their identities within a context of male-dominated ideologies. While highlighting women's potential agency through Islam, the work critically addresses the challenges they face amid the rise of an Islamic state and the complexities of identity politics.
