Conclusion: Business, Imperialism and the Organization of Economic Development in Sudan

This chapter discusses the principal conclusions of the book. It first of all asks whether Sudan was economically different from other sub-Saharan African colonies within the British Empire and concludes that it was comparable in terms of development policy and indebtedness. The conclusion then considers the main historiographical debates used to frame the book. The second section examines the issue of business imperialism and concludes that the centrality of business to the colonial state, and its influence, diminished over time. The third section of the chapter discusses imperialism in Sudan with reference to the ‘Gentlemanly Capitalist’ theory of British imperialism and similarly concludes that it was this historiographical theory is not especially applicable to Sudan. As a counter explanation the chapter then discusses the significance of the state as an economic actor in Sudan. The chapter concludes by looking at the legacies of imperialism that, even through decolonization, established a degree of continuity in the position of Sudan in relationship to the main economic powers in the international political economy. The chapter closes by discussing the potential for a theory of ‘imperial organization,’ based on empirical studies such as this book.