Chieftaincy Politics and Communal Identity in Western Nigeria, 1893–1951

Datos Bibliográficos

ID8977631
AutoresOlufemi Vaughan (State University of New York, autor de correspondencia)
Año2003
Volumen44
Número2
Páginas283-302
Fecha de publicación2003-07-01
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaThe Journal of African History (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 0021-8537 • E-ISSN: 1469-5138
EditorialCambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1017/s002185370200837x
OpenAlexW2166338383
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas8

This article examines the dimensions of indigenous political structures that sustained local governance in colonial Yorubaland. Legitimated by reconstructed traditional political authorities and modern concepts of development, Yoruba indigenous political structures were distorted by the system of indirect rule. Conversely, oba s (Yoruba monarchs), baale s (head chiefs), chiefs, Western-educated Christian elites and Muslim merchants embraced contending interpretations of traditional authorities to reinforce and expand their power in a rapidly shifting colonial context. With a strong emphasis on development and governance, collective political action also entailed the struggle over the distributive resources of the colonial state. Traditional and modern political leaders deployed strong communal ideologies and traditional themes that defined competing Yoruba communities as natives and outsiders

Colonialism · Context (archaeology · Corporate governance · Ideology · Indigenous · Indirect rule · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Power (physics · Sociology · State (computer science · Yoruba · African studies and sociopolitical issues · History · Law