A History of Nigeria [Paperback]

Toyin Falola (Author), Matthew M. Heaton (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 2, 2008 | ISBN-10: 052168157X | ISBN-13: 978-0521681575 | Edition: 1

Nigeria is Africa's most populous country and the world's eighth largest oil producer, but its success has been undermined in recent decades by ethnic and religious conflict, political instability, rampant official corruption and an ailing economy. Toyin Falola, a leading historian intimately acquainted with the region, and Matthew Heaton, who has worked extensively on African science and culture, combine their expertise to explain the context to Nigeria's recent troubles through an exploration of its pre-colonial and colonial past, and its journey from independence to statehood. By examining key themes such as colonialism, religion, slavery, nationalism and the economy, the authors show how Nigeria's history has been swayed by the vicissitudes of the world around it, and how Nigerians have adapted to meet these challenges. This book offers a unique portrayal of a resilient people living in a country with immense, but unrealized, potential.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Dissatisfied with too much emphasis placed by the existing historiography of Nigeria on political and economic developments of the 20th century, the authors... of this new history set out to provide a more balanced picture of the past by paying special attention to social and cultural themes and the longue durée.... They show the complexity, fragility, and contested nature of national identity.... Recommended." - Choice

"[A] condensed but rich chronological account of events, forces, and actors that helped to shape the historical development of the region from about 9000 BC to 2007...[An] important contribution to Nigerian and African history and will be of value to students and scholars in the field."
International Journal of African Historical Studies, Gloria Chuku

Book Description

An exploration of Nigeria's pre-colonial and colonial past, and its journey from independence to statehood. By examining key themes such as colonialism, religion, slavery, nationalism and the economy, the authors explain the context to Nigeria's recent ethnic and religious conflicts, political instability, rampant official corruption and ailing economy.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 376 pages
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press; 1 edition (June 2, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 052168157X
• ISBN-13: 978-0521681575
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #85,865 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #3 in Books > History > Africa > Nigeria
  • #12 in Books > History > Africa > West Africa

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A History of Nigeria, September 13, 2009

By 

K. Iloenyosi (John's Creek, GA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A History of Nigeria (Paperback)

The first book i've read that gives detailed insight into the area called Nigeria 10,000 BC. Walks you through history in a beautiful narrative, detailing events of each era up to the colonial period and post independence. It opened my eyes to the issues that have plagued Nigeria as a country politically, why we are where we are, and what the real issues were.

A must read for every Nigerian and friend of Nigeria.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Reads like a textbook, July 27, 2010

By 

Cassandra Riley "CJ" - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: A History of Nigeria (Paperback)

Book is well written for the most part, but often jumps back and forth through time as opposed to sticking to events in each period being discussed. Could have done more in terms of going into the history and culture of each group, or atleast the major ones. There are a lot of cultural references that could have been included but were not. Overall, it is a good book for your collection of Nigerian literary works.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Impressive, July 12, 2010

By 

A. ENYIOMA (Lagos, Nigeria) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: A History of Nigeria (Paperback)

Any attempt to write a history book on africa's largest country is always going to be a major undertaken. In the history of Nigeria, Toyin Falola serves us a general sweep of nigeria's storied history beginning from the precolonial times right up to the dawn of the new millenium just as the country was making its second experiment with democracy.

I was looking for a history book that would help me fill the gaps in my knowledge and help me answer certain questions so i decided to purchase this book and I came through satisfied with the time and money invested in this material.

At 256 pages, I wasnt expecting to get the depth and detail that i may have hoped for especially when i read the chapters that had to do with the military coups, specifically the overthrow of murtala mohammed's regime. What you get here is a general overview. For more detail and depth you should look to other sources. But this book misses out on nothing from a general standpoint.

I read this book in just 2 days, i found it easy to read through and void of the teduim which is generally a trait of most history books.

I'm hoping the author comes out with another volume covering the first decade of the new millenuim.