RVI Fellow Douglas Johnson discussed the implications of South Sudan’s independence for the new nation’s history, historiography, and sense of identity in his keynote lecture to the 9th International South Sudan and Sudan Studies Conference in Bonn in July 2012. Describing South Sudan as ‘a missing piece in the jigsaw of Africa’s past’, he offered a robust critique of the various outside prejudices and preconceptions that have continued to inform, or misinform, many research programmes.

Enhancing the Role of Borderland Communities in Ethiopia’s Foreign Policy
Ethiopia’s borderland communities (BLCs) have historically influenced the country’s relations with its neighbours. These peripheral regions often serve as hubs for cross-border trade, repositories of