Rejecting Continuity and Rupture: Arguments for Historical Syncretism in Understanding Bureaucracy in Contemporary South-Eastern Nigeria

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Abstract

Patronage and financial corruption are rife in the contemporary Nigerian state and
have gained widespread social acceptance, indicating a belief that it is legitimate to
appropriate state resources for personal gain. In this paper I concentrate on the historical antecedents of this state of affairs. Focusing on the Igbo-speaking south-east of the country, I argue that an understanding of contemporary Nigeria must be based on a syncretic analysis: that is, a combination of influences from pre-colonial, colonial and post-colonial eras. Despite this, the colonial era should not be downplayed as an influence, as some have sought to argue. In particular, I argue that the imposition of warrant chiefs in previously acephalous communities with participatory governance engendered a belief that government did not belong to local people.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)405-428
Number of pages24
JournalJOURNAL OF ASIAN AND AFRICAN STUDIES
Volume13
Issue number4
Early online date10 Dec 2014
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2014

Keywords

  • Colonialism
  • Nigeria
  • Igbo
  • Bureaucracy
  • Governance
  • Historical syncretism

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