Obafemi Awolowo and the Making of Remo: The Local Politics of a Nigerian Nationalist (International African Library) - Hardcover

Nolte, Insa

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0748638954 ISBN 13: 9780748638956

Publisher: Edinburgh University Press, 2009

Synopsis

Insa Nolte examines the evolution of a distinctive Yoruba community, Remo, and the central role of the Remo-born Nationalist and Yoruba leader, Obafemi Awolowo (1909-1987). Beginning in the nineteenth century, public participation played an important role in challenging or confirming local hierarchies in Remo, and this historical dynamic had a significant impact on Awolowo's vision both for Yoruba and for Nigerian politics. When he ascended to the national stage in the 1950s, Awolowo seized the opportunity to reshape Remo's political identity, proving that the leader was both a product and a producer of Remo politics. Based on a subtle analysis of local-level politics, this book argues that traditional and modern structures of participation are integral in Yoruba politics and in the African postcolonial state. At the same time, the volume's focus on Awolowo constitutes an important contribution to the debate over one of Nigeria's most influential politicians.

About this title

About the Author

Insa Nolte is a lecturer in African culture at the Centre of West African Studies, University of Birmingham.

Review

This admirable and richly textured book should be widely read not only by those interested in Yoruba history and modern Nigeria but by all those who seek a mature understanding of the intricate connections between local and national politics. Nolte provides powerful insights on the towering stature of Chief Obafemi Awolowo, the preeminent politician of the era, along with the social dimensions of power, the richness of political networks, institutional conflicts, the construction of mythologies of power and popular loyalty, and many more crucial topics, all ably analyzed with clarity and precision. -- Toyin Falola, The Frances Higginbotham Nalle Centennial Professor in History, University of Texas at Austin This is one of the most important books in Nigerian Studies in the last decade. It is thoroughly researched, lucidly analytical, and impressive in scope and depth. This book will establish Nolte's place as an important scholar of Nigerian and Yoruba Studies. -- Olufemi Vaughan, Geoffrey Canada Professor of History & Africana Studies, Bowdoin College, Brunswick Nolte's theme is the quest for political participation and consensus in the Nigerian Yoruba town of Remo. Shadowing this tale is the life of Remo's most distinguished son, the Nigerian statesman Obafemi Awolowo. Nolte provides a fascinating tapestry of Remo life, as well as the single best portrait available of Awolowo's background and personality. Gratifyingly detailed but clearly presented, Nolte's book is rich and rewarding. In sum, this is a model study of Africa's past and present and it proclaims the arrival of a scholar of formidable gifts. -- T.C. McCaskie, Professor of the History of Africa, School of Oriental and African Studies, London One of the most important contributions of this book is the way in which the author not only (conceptually) emphasises but also (empirically) demonstrates the everyday-ness of political and cultural legitimacy in late colonial and post-colonial Africa... By historicising and spelling out ideology in a local milieu as politico-cultural guide in the daily practices of social actors, Nolte instructs that the discourse of democracy must begin to contend more with the 'wider ranges of social routines ' that define political life in Africa. -- Wale Adebanwi - JMAS A short review cannot do justice to this work's richness in historical detail and analytical scope. The book speaks to many current concerns and will be required reading for historians working on Nigeria. -- Dmitri Van Den Bersselaar Journal of African History This admirable and richly textured book should be widely read not only by those interested in Yoruba history and modern Nigeria but by all those who seek a mature understanding of the intricate connections between local and national politics. Nolte provides powerful insights on the towering stature of Chief Obafemi Awolowo, the preeminent politician of the era, along with the social dimensions of power, the richness of political networks, institutional conflicts, the construction of mythologies of power and popular loyalty, and many more crucial topics, all ably analyzed with clarity and precision. This is one of the most important books in Nigerian Studies in the last decade. It is thoroughly researched, lucidly analytical, and impressive in scope and depth. This book will establish Nolte's place as an important scholar of Nigerian and Yoruba Studies. Nolte's theme is the quest for political participation and consensus in the Nigerian Yoruba town of Remo. Shadowing this tale is the life of Remo's most distinguished son, the Nigerian statesman Obafemi Awolowo. Nolte provides a fascinating tapestry of Remo life, as well as the single best portrait available of Awolowo's background and personality. Gratifyingly detailed but clearly presented, Nolte's book is rich and rewarding. In sum, this is a model study of Africa's past and present and it proclaims the arrival of a scholar of formidable gifts. One of the most important contributions of this book is the way in which the author not only (conceptually) emphasises but also (empirically) demonstrates the everyday-ness of political and cultural legitimacy in late colonial and post-colonial Africa... By historicising and spelling out ideology in a local milieu as politico-cultural guide in the daily practices of social actors, Nolte instructs that the discourse of democracy must begin to contend more with the 'wider ranges of social routines ' that define political life in Africa. A short review cannot do justice to this work's richness in historical detail and analytical scope. The book speaks to many current concerns and will be required reading for historians working on Nigeria.

Edition details

• Publisher: Edinburgh University Press
• Publication date: 2009
• ISBN 10: 0748638954
• ISBN 13: 9780748638956
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 336