Dr. Alden Young

Biography

Alden Young is an associate professor of History at Yale University specializing in the political economy of Africa and the Middle East. He is a political economic historian, and his work explores themes of economic development, imperialism, and state formation, particularly in relation to Sudan. His book, 'Transforming Sudan: Decolonization, Economic Development and State Formation' focuses on the interplay between new economic sciences and Sudan's transition from an imperial to an independent state. Alden is also engaged in several book projects, including one tentatively titled 'Afrabians,' which examines Sudanese narratives of the relationship between northeast Africa and the Arab Gulf states from the 1970s to the early 2000s. Collaborating with political scientist Michael Woldemariam, Alden is writing about post-partition conflicts in the Horn of Africa. His recent work includes a project on climate change perceptions in Red Sea Basin countries, which resulted in the creation of 'Red Sea Net,' a digital resource developed in partnership with scholars from nine countries. Alden has published widely in academic journals and is an active contributor to popular forums like Foreign Affairs and Foreign Policy. He has also held academic positions at UCLA and Drexel University and served as a fellow at the Berggruen Institute and the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton.

Research Interests