Culture and Customs of Nigeria

(Hardback)

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Nigeria, one of the largest and most important countries in Africa, is rich in traditions and customs, both indigenous and modern. Culture and Customs of Nigeria is the only concise, authoritative, and up-to-date discussion of Nigerian culture that introduces to a Western audience the complexity of its society and the emerging lifestyles among its various peoples. Students and other interested readers will learn about all major aspects of Nigerian culture and customs, including the land, peoples, and brief historical overview; religion and worldview; literature and media; art and architecture/housing; cuisine and traditional dress; gender, marriage, and family; social customs and lifestyles; and music and dance. Nigerians are proud of their diverse culture comprising more than 250 ethnic groups. Important changes in their economy and political system are helping them cope with challenges in the modern world. Culture and Customs of Nigeria illuminates a dynamic societyhow Nigerians today live, work, worship, interact, relax, and express themselves. Numerous photos, a chronology, and a glossary complement the text.

Reviews

.,."this is the best book yet written on the subject. Falola writes with admirable clarity and extraodinary erudition. His discussion of cultures and customs of Nigeria is comprehensive, and transcends ethnicity and prevailing parochialism."-Felix K. Ekechi Professor of History Kent State University
"[A] well articulated cultural history of Nigeria; the first of its kind. What is fascinating about the book is the simple but flowing language used, its elaborateness, and the coverage that is appealing to all audiences."-Gloria Chuka Department of History The University of Memphis
"An encyclopedic material on Nigerian culture and customs, from the remotest to the most widely known Nigerian ways of life, from local names of items, ideas, and concepts, to cultural styles and patterns. I cannot think of anything this book has not covered, language, politics, art and architecture, housing, village and city community structures, ethnic history, religion, traditional dress and fashion, marriage, family life, gender roles, dance, music, and ceremonies! This is the book for tourists, students from all levels of education from within and outside Nigeria, teachers, researchers on African culture, librarians, foreign diplomats who want to know Nigeria, and for the general public."-Abdul-Rasheed Na'Allah Professor, African American Studies Department Western Illinois University
"Given Nigeria's ethnic diversity and cultural complexity, an attempt to write a volume on the country's cultures and customs could easily yield a confusing catalogue of unintegrated data. Falola has succeeded marvelously to avoid that problem; he has produced a masterpiece of synthesis that unerringly reveals the continuities and commonalities among the various segments of the country without disguising or discounting the complexity. He has presented a portrait of a huge country and its vibrant cultural heritage in a style that is highly readable. It will instruct and delight the casual reader coming to the subject afresh, as well as serious students already familiar with it."-Oyekan Owomoyela Ryan Professor of African Literature Univeristy of Nebraska Lincoln
"The dynamism of modern Nigeria lies in its ability to integrate and continually transform a multiplicity of cultural programs. In this book, Falola, the indefatigable Nigerian historian, offers an admirably clear and straightforward account of how these ongoing reconstructions of multiple institutional and ideological patterns are carried forward by specific actors in close connection with social, political, and intellectual activists, and also by social movements pursuing different programs of modernity."-Simeon O. Ilesanni Zachary T. Smith Associate Professor of Religion Wake Forest University
"Thought provoking and insightful, this well-crafted synthesis captures eloquently the multi-dimensional cultures of Nigeria. Written by a seasoned scholar of Nigeria, the simplicity of the language, elegance of style, and clarity of presentation make the book interesting and readable. The book will fulfill a long-felt need for an up-to-date coherent exposition of the cultural history of Nigeria."-Abdebayo Oyebade, Assistant Professor, Department of History Tennessee State University
Each volume has enough topics and in-depth information that any social studies class doing comparative cultures and history will find very useful information here beyond what is in a general encyclopedia or what they can find on that country's Web site....Since the series concentrates on many third world countries and the authors are very knowledgable, we find the series valuable for hard-to-find, in-depth and current cultural information. Recommended.-Blanche Woolls & David Loertscher
"Each volume has enough topics and in-depth information that any social studies class doing comparative cultures and history will find very useful information here beyond what is in a general encyclopedia or what they can find on that country's Web site....Since the series concentrates on many third world countries and the authors are very knowledgable, we find the series valuable for hard-to-find, in-depth and current cultural information. Recommended."-Blanche Woolls & David Loertscher

Author Bio

TOYIN FALOLA is the Frances Higginbothom Nalle Centennial Professor in History at the University of Texas, Austin. He has written many works on Nigeria, including The History of Nigeria (Greenwood 1999).