Understanding Modern Nigeria
Ethnicity, Democracy, and Development

An introduction to the politics and society of post-colonial Nigeria, highlighting the key themes of ethnicity, democracy, and development.

Toyin Falola (Author)

9781108837972, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 24 June 2021

500 pages
23.5 x 15.9 x 4.1 cm, 1.09 kg

'In this magisterial volume, Africa's foremost historian and theoretician weaves a mesmerizing meta-narrative and meta-theory of Africa's largest democracy and economy, Nigeria. Comprehensively capturing yet transcending the dominant scholarship, Falola's triadic framework explains Nigeria's dialectic progress and retrogression. This is the definitive text for a new generation of scholars.' Olajumoke Yacob-Haliso, Dean, Veronica Adeleke School of Social Sciences, Babcock University, Nigeria

Since its independence from Britain in 1960, Nigeria has emerged as Africa's second largest economy and one of the biggest producers of oil in the world. Despite its economic success, however, there are deep divisions among its two hundred and fifty ethnic groups. Centered around three of the dominant themes of Nigeria's post-colonial narrative - ethnicity, democracy and governance, this is an accessible and comprehensive introduction to the history and events that have shaped these three areas. World-renowned expert in Nigerian history, Toyin Falola shows us how the British laid the foundations of modern Nigeria, with colonialism breading competition for resources and power and the widening cleavages between the Hausa-Fulani, Yoruba, and Igbo ethnic groups that had been forced together under British rule, the choice of federalism as a political system, and the religious and political pluralism that have shaped its institutions and practices. Using an examination of the outcomes of this history, manifested in hunger, violence, poverty, human rights violations, threats of secession and corruption, where power and resources are used to reproduce underdevelopment, Falola offers insights and recommendations for the future of policy and the potential for intervention in the country.

Part I. Introduction: 1. Narrating Postcolonial Nigeria
2. In Search of Modernity
Part II. Context and History: 3. Colonial Modernity
4. Political Pluralism
5. Religious Identities
6. Federalism and Its Fault-Lines
Part III. Democracy and Governance: 7. Ethnicities and Political Identities
8. Religion and Geopolitics
9. Democracy and Its Limits
10. Governance, Citizenship and the State: Part IV. Development Crises: 11. Corruption
12. The Political Economy of Oil
13. Environment and Sustainable Development
14. Food, Society, and Human Capabilities
15. Women's Marginalization
16. Human and Minority Rights
17. Political Violence
18. Challenges of Western Education
Part V: Reforms and Revolutions: 19. Change Agents: Youths and Politics
20. Hashtags and Social Protests: Reformation and Revolution in the Age of Social Media
21. Reformist Option: Grassroots and Political Activism
22. Revolutionary Option: Social Movements and Power to the Citizens
23. Nationalist Ethos, Collective Reformation, and Citizenry Power
24. Popular Culture and Politics
Part VI. Conclusion: Pathways to the Future.

Subject Areas: Constitution: government & the state [JPHC], Political science & theory [JPA], Politics & government [JP], National liberation & independence, post-colonialism [HBTR]