A Basketful of Water Nigeria and the Politics of (Under)Development

Chuu Krydz Ikwuemesi Announcement
Location
Nigeria
Subject Fields
Humanities

Call for Book Chapters

 

A Basketful of Water

Nigeria and the Politics of (Under)Development

 

Editors: Chuu Krydz Ikwuemesi and Samuel Awa

 

The rhetoric about development in Nigeria has been an unending experience. Since the so-called political independence in 1960, the country continues to founder on the sea of (under)development, like a rudderless ship on a "fateful journey nowhere". The first manifestation of discontent with the Nigerian socio-political setup was to come in the form of the 1966 coup, the counter-coup and subsequently civil war between 1967 and 1970. It is not certain whether the country has  fully recovered and learnt from the factors that led to the war and the actual consequences of the war, as corruption, ethnic rivalry, religious fundamentalism, insurgency, and the general impoverishment of the masses continue unabated. Between the military dictatorships of the past and the travestied democracy of the present, it is difficult to define Nigeria politically and economically in light of the very thin line that separates the two forms of government in these parts. For while the former embodies a centralisation of violence and corruption, the latter, in Nigeria, is arguably the tyranny of the majority and the decentralisation of violence and corruption.

 

Thus, over the years, the issue of development has degenerated into a weird ping-pong played with the population by corrupt politicians with military or civilian background. The situation logically culminates in a crossroads where underdevelopment is in a tie with development and yields a situation of hopelessness which sees the rise of religious fundamentalism and what may be defined as a dangerous collective "cargo cult" psychology, in addition to a heightened democratisation of violence.

 

In reaction to the above scenario, the editors of the proposed volume seek papers and contributions that take a critical and holistic view of (under)development in its multiferous dimentions in a bid to confront issues in the Nigerian project from political, anthropological, creative and other relevant perspectives. Contributorsshouldconsider, but are not limited to, the following subthemes:

 

  • The Relationship between Poverty, Corruption and Human Capital Development
  • Globalization, Gender Equity and Women Impowerment in Nigeria
  • The Nexus between Peace Building and the Politics of Exclusion in Nigeria
  • Insecurity, Violence and the Politics of Under Development in the Niger Delta
  • Environmental Degradation, Group Relations and Violence in the Niger Delta
  • Gross Domestic Product, the Informal Sector and the Organized Private Sector in Nigeria
  • The Burden of Terrorism and its Implication in Nation Building
  • The Call for Restructuring and the Nigerian Question
  • Relationship between an Unprogressive Education System and the Need for Relevance in the 21st Century
  • Conflict resolution, Poverty and the Need for the Improvement of the means of livelihood for the masses
  • Religion as Agency for Social Capital and Nationa Building: the Nigerian Experience
  • Religion as Burden in Nigeria: Religious Leaders as Predators and Agents of Underdevelopment
  • Rich Land; Poor People: Reality and Irony in Nigerian Economics
  • Religion and the Politics of Extremis (end-of-history psychology) in Nigeria
  • Nigerian Politicians and the Rest of Us: Politics as War and Robbery Against the Population
  • Discontent, Despair and the New Separatist Movements in Modern Nigeria
  • Modern Messiahs or Maniacal Materialists?: Between the PDP and APC Governments
  • Politics as a Tool for Heroic Materialism and Violence in Nigeria
  • Post- or Neo-Colonisation: Hopes and Impedements in  Development in Modern Nigeria
  • Postcolonialism, Neocolonialism and the Need for Cultural Rearmament
  • Morality as a Personal and Collective Virtue: Remoralising Nigeria in the Mill of Bad Leadership
  • Nigeria as a Failing State: Problems and Antidotes of an Underdeveloping Nation
  • Education as Key to Socio-Economic Development
  • Police/Military Brutality and Political Arrogance in Nigeria
  • Religious/Political Arrogance and Exploitation in Nigeria
  • The Dangerous Overlap of Politics, Religion and Education
  • Towards a Nigerian Revolution?: The Role of the Youth and Social Media

 

 

Note

To contribute, send an abstract of not more than 150 words to PanAfrikapress@gmail.com before February 25, 2022. Full papers are due on June 30, 2022. Selected papers will be published in hard and electronic versions in October 2022. References should follow the Afrikana Method (request from PanAfrikapress@gmail.com).The editors do not seek to produce an academic textbook, although it is recommended that submissions adhere to the highest possible standards of writing. In other words, we encourage a profound but accessible style and language in order for the anthology to become a basis for a fructifying conversation between town and gown, between generations. Contributors will not be required to pay a publication fee.

 

 

 

 

 

Contact Information

Chuu Krydz Ikwuemesi

Dept of Fine and Applied Arts

University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nigeria

Contact Email
krydz.ikwuemesi@unn.edu.ng