Description
Book SynopsisAn analysis of how traditional power structures in Nigeria have survived the forces of colonialism and the modernization processes of postcolonial regimes. This book analyzes how indigenous political power structures in Nigeria survived both the constricting forces of colonialism and the modernization programs of postcolonial regimes. With twenty detailed case studies on colonial andpostcolonial Nigerian history, the complex interactions between chieftaincy structures and the rapidly shifting sociopolitical and economic conditions of the twentieth century become evident. Drawing on the interactions between the state and chieftaincy, this study goes beyond earlier Africanist scholarship that attributes the resilience of these indigenous structures to their enduring normative and utilitarian qualities. Linked to externally-derived forces, and legitimated by neotraditional themes, chieftaincy structures were distorted by the indirect rule system, transformed by competing communal claims, and legitimated a dominant ethno-regional power configuration. Olufemi Vaughan is Professor in the Department of Africana Studies and the Department of History, State University of New York at Stony Brook. Winner of the 2001 Cecil B. Currey Book-length Award from the Association ofThird World Studies.
Trade ReviewVaughan magisterially treats heavily troubled Nigeria. . . Six good maps, four helpful tables, excellent endnotes, a comprehensive bibliography, and good indexing enhance this title. * CHOICE *
The contribution of this study is a significant one. . . [Vaughan's] is an exceptionally complex account, incorporating every possible variable. * INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF AFRICAN HISTORICAL STUDIES *
Vaughan's book is an excellent survey of the central role played by chieftaincy structures in these decades. * EHR *
Vaughan's study of Yoruba chiefs is a brave undertaking. . . [his] book is especially welcome in that it makes a major contribution to the historiography of modern Nigeria. * AFRICAN HISTORY *
