Political Organization in Nigeria since the Late Stone Age A History of the Igbo People

by Oriji, John

• ISBN13: 9781137347213
• ISBN10: 113734721X
• Edition: Revised
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2013-08-21
• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan

Summary

This groundbreaking study provides broad insights into the changes Igbo history and political systems have undergone since the Late Stone Age. It discusses important methodological problems in African historiography, taking on those synchronists who have suggested that the Igbo have always lived in a static, kinship-orientated, and stateless society. Adopting a diachronic and comparative approach, author John N. Oriji explains how the interplay of economic, social, technological, and other factors have changed the history of the Igbo and their politico-religious organizations over time. In doing so, he raises critical questions regarding social stratification, cosmology, gender, and the existing typologies of African political systems.

Author Biography

John Oriji is Professor of African History at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. His publications include Traditions of Igbo Origin (1994), Ngwa History (1998), numerous articles in professional journals, and chapters in books discussing diverse themes in African history ranging from oral traditions and sacred centers to the slave trade and colonialism.

Table of Contents

Introduction
1. Igboland Before and During the Iron Age: From Stateless Societies to Mini States
2. The Igbo and their Neighbors Before the 15th Century
3. The Igbo and the Benin, Igala and Eastern Ijo Mega States during Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade
4. The Aro Trade Network: Changes in Igbo Society from the 18th -19th Centuries
5. Abolition of the Slave Trade and the Genesis of Legitimate Commerce, Christianity and the New Imperialism
6. Developments in Igboland from the 1890s 1970s
Conclusion