Alden Young is an expert on Sudan and the Horn of Africa, a region of Africa with a rich history, a complex present-day landscape, and a critical future. Much of the region’s identity is tied to its position as a “crossroads” along the Red Sea, making it almost as much an extension of the Middle East and the Arab world as it is part of Africa. In his research, Young explores the inextricable connections between Africa and the Middle East, from religion to migration to economic development.

He recently sat down for an interview to talk about his research and why he’s excited to be a part of the Jackson School and the broader Yale community.

This interview has been edited for clarity and length.

Your research focuses on how Africans have participated in the creation of the current international order, with a particular interest in Sudan. What would you say is the most important role that Sudan has played in that process?

I think it’s often forgotten that Sudan is arguably the first independent country in sub-Saharan Africa, in 1956, and Sudanese officials played a leading role in creating African and Arab international organizations. In my first book, Transforming Sudan, I talk a lot about how Sudanese officials helped create the African Development Bank and took a leading role in the Organization for African Unity.

But perhaps most importantly, Sudan has acted as a crossroads between Africa and the Arab world — a role they still play today. It’s an incredibly important role as the Red Sea region emerges as a geopolitical hotspot. Part of my current research is focused on economic integration and development in the region, which is one of the most unequal parts of the world, with prosperous countries like Saudi Arabia and the UAE interacting with countries in conflict like Sudan and Yemen or politically isolated countries like Eritrea.

Talk a bit more about Sudan’s role as a historical crossroads.

For centuries, Muslims coming from West Africa and across the Sahel and Sahara, they’ve always crossed the Red Sea and the ports in Sudan to go to the Holy Land in Mecca and Medina. It’s also been a big crossroads for migration— tons of workers leave East Africa every year to go to work in the Gulf States as professionals.

The Red Sea is not a very wide sea. Though we often think of the Middle East, or the Arab world, as completely different from sub-Saharan Africa, it’s actually not very far across. It’s why the Horn of Africa is the first place that Islam spread outside of the Hijaz and has also acted as a place of refuge for Muslims. The connection is very old and historically significant.

Why are these relationships between African nations and the Middle East important in a global context? Is there a relationship that is particularly critical at this moment?

In a global context, a persistent question is the future of the oil-producing Gulf States in the Arabian Peninsula. I think one of the big economic changes of the 21st century will be how countries like Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar transition to a post-hydrocarbon future as we address climate change. These countries have become some of the wealthiest nations in the Arab world and in the globe; looking back 50 or more years, nobody would’ve thought that, but now they are by a huge margin. We now see that less developed countries in the region are hugely dependent on the economic prosperity of the Gulf States.

What impact will this economic transformation and diversification have, particularly to developing African countries and, further, for a world concerned with migration? This is a growing issue in Europe — we’ve already seen Eritrean migrants moving there and now we’re dealing with a major famine in Sudan, with more than 25 million people food insecure. The future of these countries will largely depend on energy diversification and development — really, whether it happens or not.

This fall, you’ll be teaching a history seminar, “Across the Red Sea: Race, Islam and Geopolitics.” What’s your teaching style?

The course will cover the Red Sea, both as a geographic region and as an area of historical  and contemporary interest. We will use an interdisciplinary approach and really keep the class open to dialogue. I take students very seriously because I’m very interested in learning from them as well. I really look forward to meeting and talking with students one-on-one and, someday, would love to have small groups of students travel to Africa with me to conduct research.

I’m hoping to develop a seminar class on Sudan at Jackson with other practitioners, where we can discuss the current context of the civil war in Sudan, why the democratic transition broke down into civil war, and possible strategies for peacebuilding going forward as well as what a democratic and pluralist Sudan might look like in the future. I would also like to cover how African states relate to one another — Ethiopia and Chad, Sudan and South Sudan — and how it all ties into their relationships with the Gulf States and great powers like the U.S. and Russia.

Before Yale, you taught at UCLA as a professor of African American studies. How do you connect the history and culture of African Americans into your research and teaching on Africa and the Middle East?

When I was in grad school, this was something that was rarely connected. Over time, teaching for nearly a decade now, I’ve learned that African Americans have played a really important role in the ways in which we study Africa and the Middle East.

For instance, one thinker who has influenced me is Ali Mazrui, who coined the phrase “Afrabia.” He considered the Arabian Peninsula as part of Africa, as a wider part of the region. In the U.S., when we say “Africa,” it usually refers to sub-Saharan Africa and detaches North Africa. A lot of African American and African scholars have begun exploring what they call a “continental approach,” which is thinking of the history of Africans and the African diaspora as a wider, more global phenomenon. Most of this thinking has grown out of African American studies, putting Africa in a more global perspective.

Outside of your research and scholarship, what other interests do you have?

I’m a big CrossFit enthusiast. I’m really into drawing and art. I listen to a lot of hip-hop and music podcasts.

What’s most exciting to you about joining Jackson and Yale?

I’m really looking forward to teaching future policymakers from around the world, with the impressive international reach of the Jackson School. I’m also attracted to the idea that Jackson is a good size, but it’s a relatively small program and it does a really good job of integrating academics and practical applied skills.

I’m really excited to work with Yale faculty, as well. I’ve worked with [Jackson School history professor] David Engerman for a number of years and, as a fellow historian of diplomatic history, I’ve always looked up to his work. There’s Arne Westad — as someone who studies the Horn of Africa, his work on the Cold War and the Horn of Africa is really important to my own work. I’m currently working on a book about partition wars in the Horn of Africa, which draws heavily from his work. I also know there are Yale postdocs and researchers working on that part of the world, so I’m excited to partner with them.