Description
Book SynopsisOffers a radical political interpretation of history that generates fresh insights into the emancipatory potential of ordinary Nigerians and their precolonial cultural institutions This pathbreaking book constructs a socio-ethical identity of Nigeria that can advance its political development. Its method is based on the rediscovery of the practices and principles of emancipatory politics and a retrieval of fundamental virtues and capabilities that go to the core of the functioning of pluralistic communities. Ethics and Society in Nigeria: Identity, History, Political Theory critically engages history, myth, political philosophy, and religion to demonstrate that Nigeria has an unfolding historic identity that can serve as a resource for sustaining increasing levels of human flourishing and democratic republicanism. Located at the intersectionof history and political theory, this work identifies the nature of Nigeria's moral problem, forges the political-theoretic discursive framework for a robust analysis of the problem, and shows a pathway out of the nation's predicament. This three-pronged approach is founded on the retrieval of moral exemplars from the past and critical engagement with history as a social practice, philosophical concept, discipline of study, form of social imaginary, and witness of the flows of contemporary events. Using this methodology, author Nimi Wariboko analyzes various forms of political, religious, and revolutionary identities that have been put forth by different groups in the country and then examines their usefulness for the transformation of Nigeria's problematic socio-ethical identity. NIMI WARIBOKO is the Walter G. Muelder Professor of Social Ethics at Boston University. He is the author of NigerianPentecostalism, available from University of Rochester Press.
Trade ReviewToday, the power of good in Nigeria is weak,' laments Africa's preeminent theologian, Nimi Wariboko. Ethics and Society in Nigeria is his attempt to bring the Nigerian malaise under the impress of thought-forthright, coruscating thought-aimed at elevating the power of good. No African theologian or philosopher writing today comes close to Wariboko in the depth of his knowledge, the sheer power of his articulation, and the radiance of his language. -- Ebenezer Obadare, author of
Humor, Silence, and Civil Society in NigeriaEthics and Society in Nigeria exemplifies Wariboko's inimitable style. In this book he tackles the question that has exercised generations of Nigerian scholars and policymakers-how to 'interrupt' the 'thoughtlessness and . accompanying evil' that enjoy (hardly the right word) widespread acceptance as defining markers of life in most of postcolonial Nigeria. For a study on so unhappy a project ... this book is a testament of hope. * JOURNAL OF RELIGION IN AFRICA *
Table of ContentsForeword Preface Acknowledgements Introduction: Dead Gods, Divine Kings, and Deadly Politicians The Emergence of the Lotus-Self: Personhood and Identity Dead Gods and People's Revolt: Political Theory in Religious Act Divine King and His Five Bodies: Living History and the Logic of Interreligious Dialogue Governance and Deadly Politicians: History as Cultural Criticism History Without Force: Finding Present Space and Place of Time Constructing Nigeria's Greatness: Neglected Paths of Community, Narratives, and Care of the Soul Mythos, Virtues, and National Transformation African Traditional Religion and Critical Theory: A Framework for Social Ethics Bibliography
