ABSTRACT
Introduction This chapter is a critical interpretation of gender interests and rela-
tions associated with a Third World communist party, the Sudanese Communist Party (hereafter the SCP or the Party). More specifically it is a critical interpretation of one male-dominated organization and its sister traveler, the Sudanese Women's Union (hereafter the WU or the Union). I draw upon interviews with women members of both organizations, numerous conversations and interviews with other progressive Sudanese variously positioned along the leftist continuum, and a fairly extensive literature, which includes some of the sparse documentation issued by these organizations. This study derives from my interest in how the gender ideologies and practices of Marxist organizations worldwide manifest themselves organizationally and strategically. It also stems from my concerns as a Sudanist with gender ideology and relations that infuse Sudanese civil society and the state. My goal is to shed light upon how men within the SCP position women within culture and politics to serve their movement's ends.
