In public choice theory, the received wisdom has long been that self-organization is an impediment to collective action, whether via the tragedy of the commons or a Hobbesian scenario in which self-interest produces social conflict rather than cooperation. Yet as this fascinating collection shows, self-organization and state-society relations have been much more complicated in the context of contemporary Nigerian politics. Given the absence or unwillingness of the Nigerian state to provide essential services, entire communities have had to band together to repair roads, build health centers, and maintain public utilities, all from levies. The successes, failures, and ongoing challenges faced by Nigerian society provide valuable insights into the state's capacity, its relationship with civil society, and the social, economic, and political well-being of its citizens.

"An amazing read! Beyond Mojubaolu Okome's signature brio in her editor's introduction, the volume assembles significant reflections by established thinkers from a broad range of disciplines. Society, development, citizenship, democracy, politics, gender, activism are all subjects treated brilliantly within the context of the contradictions of postcolonial statehood in Nigeria. This is a landmark contribution to African thought." - Pius Adesanmi, Winner of the Penguin Prize for African Writing

'This book provides a rich and bottom-up political sociology of the postcolonial Nigerian state. Using relevant empirically-grounded case studies, the book critically examines the emergence, evolution, and transformation of the institution and capacity of the Nigerian state with particular reference to how diverse civil society organizations and global political-economic processes and agents shape the dynamic mutually constitutive state-society relations from the colonial period to the twenty-first century. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in understanding the relationship between the state and national development in Nigeria's social history.' - Samuel Zalanga, Professor of Sociology, Bethel University, USA

'Timely yet of enduring value, this book is crafted to provide a lasting bridge between theory and practice in state-civil society relations in contemporary Nigeria. Edited by some of the finest and brightest of Nigeria's intellectuals at home and inthe diaspora, the book as a whole speaks eloquently and soberly to the troubled Nigerian experience with a survey of the past and an eye to the future that gleans hope on the horizon for a vibrant people long held back by despots and their fellow travelers in politics, economy, and society.' - Adigun Agbaje, Professor of Political Science, University of Ibadan, Nigeria

Autorentext
Mojúbàolú Olúfúnké Okome, Brooklyn College, CUNY, USA Wale Adebanwi, University of California-Davis, USA Oluf?mi Akin?la, Obaf?mi Awol?w? University, Nigeria Ademola Araoye, United Nations Mission, Liberia Ebenezer Obadare, University of Kansas, Lawrence, USA Mr. F.A. Olasupo, Obafemi Awolowo University, Nigeria Ayo Olukotun, Lead City University, Nigeria Rosemary Olufunmilayo Soetan, Obafemi Awolowo University, Nigeria

Inhalt

1. Contesting Nigerian State: Civil Society and the Contradictions of Self-Organization - Introduction, Concepts, and Questions; Mojúbàolú Olúfúnké Okome 2. Civil Society and the Challenges of Development and Nation Building in the Post Colonial African State; Ademola Araoye 3. State Failure and the Contradictions of the Public Sphere, 1995-2005; Ayo Olukotun 4. Mobilizing For Change: The Press and the Struggle for Citizenship in Democratic Nigeria; Wale Adebanwi 5. Gendered States: Women's Civil Society Activism in Nigerian Politics; Mojúbàolú Olúfúnké Okome 6. Feminist Civil Society Organizations and Democratization in Nigeria; Funmi Soetan 7. Women's Associational Life within Traditional Institutions in Yoruba States; Fatai A. Olasupo 8. Sexual Struggles and Democracy Dividends; Ebenezer Obadare 9. Politics in a Sub-Formal Economic Setting: Workplace Investment Co-Operatives in Southwestern Nigeria, C.1986-2011; Olufemi A. Akinola