Description
Book SynopsisIn
Rage and Carnage in the Name of God, Abiodun Alao examines the emergence of a culture of religious violence in postindependence Nigeria, where Christianity, Islam, and traditional religions have all been associated with violence. He investigates the root causes and historical evolution of Nigeria’s religious violence, locating it in the forced coming together of disparate ethnic groups under colonial rule, which planted the seeds of discord that religion, elites, and domestic politics exploit. Alao discusses the histories of Christianity, Islam, and traditional religions in the territory that became Nigeria, the effects of colonization on the role of religion, the development of Islamic radicalization and its relation to Christian violence, the activities of Boko Haram, and how religious violence intermixes with politics and governance. In so doing, he uses religious violence as a way to more fully understand intergroup relations in contemporary Nigeria.
Trade Review"Throughout this insightful book, [Alao] explores both post-independence Nigeria’s history and the global religious movements in their connection with religious violence. ... The book will be useful for students, researchers, policymakers and anyone who is interested in understanding the religious violence in Nigeria beyond the narratives that are common in the media."
-- Adeyemi Balogun * Religion *
"Abiodun Alao’s book is an interesting contribution to the literature on religious violence in Nigeria – a country where religious and ethnic divides come into play at all times. ... It offers a compelling explanation of the dynamics as well as the divergence between Christianity, Islam, and traditional religion in Nigeria. This book will definitely open up more discussions and debates on religiously motivated violence in Nigeria."
-- Zainab Mai-Bornu * Religion, State & Society *
Table of ContentsAcknowledgments ix
Introduction: Of Nigeria, Religion, and Violence 1
1. Religion and Nigerian Society 19
2. Islam and Violence in Nigeria 45
3. Christianity and Violence in Nigeria 77
4. Traditional Religions and Violence in Nigeria 101
5. Boko Haram and the New Phase of Violence 115
6. National Politics, Intergroup Relations, and Religious Violence in Nigeria 153
7. The Economics of Religious Violence in Nigeria 189
8. Nigeria's Religious Violence in the Context of Global Politics 207
Conclusion: The Impossibility of the Best and the Unlikelihood of the Worst 225
Notes 239
Bibliography 267
Index 285
