The History of Nigeria

by Toyin Falola

Overview

About the Author:
Toyin Falola is the Frances Higginbotham Nalle Centennial Professor in History at the University of Texas at Austin

About the Author:
Matthew M. Heaton is a Patrice Lumumba Fellow at the University of Texas at Austin

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780313032400
Publisher:	ABC-CLIO, Incorporated
Publication date:	09/30/1999
Series:	Greenwood Histories of the Modern Nations Series
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	443 KB

About the Author

Toyin Falola is the Frances Higginbotham Nalle Centennial Professor in History at the University of Texas, Austin. His books include The Power of African Cultures (2003), Economic Reforms and Modernization in Nigeria, 1945–1965 (2004) and A Mouth Sweeter than Salt: An African Memoir (2004).

Matthew M. Heaton is a Patrice Lumumba Fellow at the University of Texas, Austin. He has co-edited multiple volumes on health and illness in Africa with Toyin Falola, including HIV, Illness and African Well-Being and Health Knowledge and Belief Systems in Africa (2007).

Table of Contents

List of illustrations     ix
List of maps     xi
Acknowledgments     xii
Chronology     xiii
Notable people in Nigerian history     xix
List of abbreviations     xxxiii
Glossary     xxxvi
Introduction     1
Early states and societies, 9000 BCE - 1500 CE     16
Slavery, state, and society, c. 1500 - c 1800     39
Political and economic transformations in the nineteenth century     61
Transition to British colonial rule, 1850 - 1903     85
Colonial society to 1929     110
Nationalist movements and independence, 1929 - 1960     136
Instability and civil war, 1960 - 1970     158
Oil, state, and society, 1970 - 1983     181
Civil society and democratic transition, 1984 - 2007     209
Nigeria and Nigerians in world history     243
Concluding remarks: corruption, anti-corruption, and the 2007 elections     271
Notes     280
Selected bibliography     305
Index     322

Editorial Reviews

Presents a history of Nigeria from its earliest beginnings through 1998, constructed around themes of politics and the economy. All major historical themes are covered, notably precolonial and indigenous state systems and societies, the penetration of Europeans that ended in colonial subjugation, nationalist struggles, and the various administrations since the country attainted independence in 1960. An introduction overviews the country's geography, political institutions, economic structure, and cultural attributes. Includes a chronology, biographical sketches of notable Nigerians, b&w maps, and a bibliographic essay. The author is professor of history at the University of Texas-Austin. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Booknews

"Dissatisfied with too much emphasis placed by the existing historiography of Nigeria on political and economic developments of the 20th century, the authors... of this new history set out to provide a more balanced picture of the past by paying special attention to social and cultural themes and the longue durée.... They show the complexity, fragility, and contested nature of national identity.... Recommended." - Choice

"[A] condensed but rich chronological account of events, forces, and actors that helped to shape the historical development of the region from about 9000 BC to 2007...[An] important contribution to Nigerian and African history and will be of value to students and scholars in the field."
International Journal of African Historical Studies, Gloria Chuku

From the Publisher