The Importance of the Condominium Agreement in Season of Migration to the North

Abstract

The essay reexamines Tayeb Salih's Season of Migration to the North in the context of the unique Condominium Agreement constructed by Britain and Egypt to govern the Sudan after the relatively brief period of Mahdist rule from 1881-1895 and the subsequent British re-conquest from 1896-1898 conducted in Egypt’s name. Current scholarship fails to propel forward this historical consideration in Season and obscures the challenges Salih makes across the East-West divide in an attempt to demystify the misconceptions about the colonial encounter - a key register of the novel. Addressing Condominium propels Mahjoub forward as a major character allowing for an unheard register of the novel to emerge: Salih’s consideration of the geopolitical difficulties emerging from the Condominium Agreement.