Tag Archives: Ethnic group

Should we take Gaddafi seriously?

My friend and sociology lecturer at the University of Ibadan, Oka Obono: Nigeria was furious. It recalled its ambassador, told Libya off, and escalated what could have passed for hot air into substance for a diplomatic war. It forgot that its own security forces had failed to maintain peace in the affected area; that they… Read More »

A really good analysis of the Jos crisis

This is from Tatalo Alamo, writing for the Nation: Taking inspiration from the conflict tree paradigm, we can say that while the immediate cause and outward foliage of the Jos crisis is economic, ie a conflict arising from allocation of scarce resources and the distribution of political patronage, the root causes are cultural and historical.… Read More »

“Ethnicity INC: or why ethnicity is not the bogeyman we were told it is”

… is the title of a review of anthropologists Jean and Jean Comaroff’s book, Ethnicity, INC. An excerpt of the review: From the very beginning of their study, the authors ask us to take a step back and stop thinking about ethnicity only as a political tool. Rather, we should extend new attributes and opportunities… Read More »