Livelihood in Colonial Lagos

(Hardback)

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Livelihood in Colonial Lagos initiates a new line of historical investigation into colonial urban culture, focused on the intersections between daily living and the urban experience. It examines the livelihood challenges that Africans faced between 1861 and 1960 due to the urban planning and development policies of the British government in colonial Lagos. It historicizes the urban livelihood strategies in the informal sector, and it explores how the flow of social capital mitigated the challenges faced by both migrants to and indigenes of Lagos in that time period. Monsuru Muritala illuminates the economic and social history of Lagos with special emphasis on the coping mechanisms adopted by the people under colonial rule.

Reviews

This book is an interpretive and impressive coverage of issues pertaining to the story of urbanization and livelihood in Lagos from the dawn of British colonialism in 1861 to the end of colonial rule in 1960. In a clear, accessible and scholarly manner, the author has explored the nexus between modern urbanization processes and socio-economic change in a dynamic African city. Monsuru Muritala, in his study of Livelihood in Colonial Lagos has, therefore, provided a coherent and intellectually stimulating analysis and interpretation of the human dimensions of history in an African setting confronted with fundamental change. The work is an impressive result of the best of historical scholarship in the 21st century. It is an essential and indispensable book for African and Africanist scholars worldwide. -- Olutayo C. Adesina, University of Ibadan

Author Bio

Monsuru Muritala is senior lecturer in the Department of History at the University of Ibadan.