Warfare, Ethnicity and National Identity in Nigeria - Softcover

This volume is set in the complex nexus between warfare, ethnicity and national identity in Africa. Analyzing the history of this connection, its basis and dynamics from the pre-colonial period, the book shows how conflicts shaped the Nigerian societies. It also interrogates the sense in which the failures of the post-colonial African state encourage ethnicity, and demonstrates how and why this development results in conflicts and insurgency wars. It bears relevance in its specific focus on the juxtaposition between pre-colonial and post-colonial warfares, and in particular, its analysis of the intersections between contested identities, the crisis of the post-colonial state and resulting break down of law and order. Using the example of Nigeria, the volume shows how the complexities and dynamics of nation building pose enormous challenge to modern African nations, and proposes the way forward.