Project Mission

This website is launching alongside a newly established US-based publishing company called South Sudan Cultural Productions, LLC, and an updated 2023 edition of Nuer Dilemmas: Coping with Money, War, and the State. These initiatives are the result of Dr. Sharon E. Hutchinson's vision and leadership as the sole creator, funder, director, and copyright claimant of this book and this website. Dr. Hutchinson, also known as Nyarial in Nuer, which translates to "daughter of the black and white splashed cow," is Professor Emerita of Anthropology and African Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Director of South Sudan Productions LLC based in Madison, WI.

• Link to About the Author and Director.

Nuer Dilemmas, 2023 Edition

The 2023 paperback edition of Nuer Dilemmas includes a new “Epilogue” and other updates. It is now available for purchase by US-based customers. It features several updates, including a new "Epilogue" published in the Nuer language. An expanded English-language version of the epilogue can be found here.

Other South Sudanese Cultural Productions Publications

The primary mission of Dr. Hutchinson's new publishing venture is to produce affordable paperback books that deepen our understanding of the complex cultural, historical, and linguistic heritage of the South Sudanese people. The company's initial publications center around Nuer-language materials, featuring updated versions of Fr. J. Kiggen's Nuer-English Dictionary, link to purchase, Fr. J.P. Crazzolara's Outlines of a Nuer Grammar, link to purchase, and Nuer Folktales: Nuer - English, a dual language book containing 51 traditional Nuer folktales, link to purchase.

Children’s Books in the Nuer and Dinka Languages

In order to help preserve and promote knowledge of the Nuer language, this website also includes a children’s storybook section, which viewers have free access to read online and to download, as long as they acknowledge the attribution statement at the end of each book. See the section for Nuer children’s books.

• A link to Nuer Children’s Books.

• A link to Dinka Children’s Books.

Other Historical and Cultural Materials by Dr. Hutchinson

This website also includes a link to a series of original audio recordings and historical photographs, under the section “Voices and Photos of the Past,” drawn directly from Dr. Hutchinson's published and unpublished research materials. These audio recordings are complemented with historical photographs and textual analysis copyrighted by Dr. Hutchinson, which she created in close collaboration with Nuer and other South Sudanese communities over the past 47 years. Each audio recording segment features a prominent historical figure interviewed by, and/or a specific historical event attended by Dr. Hutchinson.  This selection of historical voices and vistas will grow over time.

• A link to Voices and Photos of the Past.

Literacy Materials in Nuer and other South Sudanese Languages

This multi-faceted publication and website project will gradually expand coverage to encompass other South Sudanese linguistic and cultural communities, which like the Nuer, also face difficulties finding accessible resources to assist their children in learning their own languages. For this reason, this website will include educational materials designed to help preserve and promote multiple South Sudanese languages. Currently, this website section contains downloadable children’s books in the Dinka language. Additional postings in Arabic and other languages will be developed in the future.