Colonialism and the Two Publics in Africa: A Theoretical Statement
Abstract
This paper argues that the experiences of colonialism in Africa have led to the emergence of a unique historical configuration in modern postcolonial Africa: the existence of two publics instead of one public, as in the West. Many of Africa's political problems are due to the dialectical relationships between the two publics. I shall characterize these two publics and attempt to explain some of Africa's political features within the matrix of these publics. In order to give some empirical content to the distinction drawn here, I shall illustrate the issues raised with examples from Nigeria.
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Five of the 10 states with endemic poverty in Nigeria are from the north-west.
“Focusing on poverty, unemployment, education, standard of living, and healthcare, the United Nations Development Programme's report on Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) shows that five of the 10 states with endemic poverty in Nigeria are from the north-west.”
From Forces of Terror: Armed Banditry and Insecurity in North-west Nigeria (2023) · cites this paper as [47]
North-West and many other parts of Nigeria are characterized by endemic poverty.
“As an indicator of the challenging human welfare, North-West and many other parts of Nigeria are characterized by endemic poverty.”
From Forces of Terror: Armed Banditry and Insecurity in North-west Nigeria (2023) · cites this paper as [47]
The north-west has the highest intensity of poverty (45.0%), followed by the northeast (44.0%), north-central (41.0%), and the southern zones (southwest 38.0%, southeast 38.0%, south-south 39.0%).
“As the data in Figure 4 reveals that the north-west has the highest intensity of poverty (45.0%), followed by the northeast (44.0%), which has been devastated by the Boko Haram insurgency.”
From Forces of Terror: Armed Banditry and Insecurity in North-west Nigeria (2023) · cites this paper as [47]
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Institutions and Ethnic Politics in Africa
Posner, D. N. (2005) · doi:10.1017/cbo9780511808661 · Cited by 1,113 · see citing works
Forces of Terror: Armed Banditry and Insecurity in North-west Nigeria
Ojo, J. S., Oyewole, S., & Aina, F. (2023) · Democracy and Security · doi:10.1080/17419166.2023.2164924 · Cited by 91 · see citing works
Conteh, F. M., & Harris, D. (2014) · Critical African Studies · doi:10.1080/21681392.2014.889883 · Cited by 12 · see citing works
- Authors
- Ekeh, P. P.
- Affiliations
- University of Ibadan (NG)
- Corresponding author
- Ekeh, Peter P.
- Venue
- Comparative Studies in Society and History
- Publisher
- Cambridge University Press (CUP)
- Published
- 1975-01
- Volume
- 17
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 91-112
- ISSN
- 0010-4175 (ISSN-L)
- 1475-2999
- OpenAlex
- W2101345083
- Cited by
- 1,508
- References
- 0
- Citations by year
- 2026: 53 · 2025: 60 · 2024: 79 · 2023: 90 · 2022: 101 · 2021: 92 · 2020: 72 · 2019: 93 · 2018: 84 · 2017: 65 · 2016: 66 · 2015: 47 · 2014: 76 · 2013: 54 · 2012: 34
- FWCI
- 10.73
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Comparative Studies in Society and History (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Anthropology › African history and culture studies
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › African Studies and Ethnography
- Social Sciences › Education › African cultural and philosophical studies
- Keywords
- colonialism, postcolonial Africa, public sphere, political culture, African politics, Nigeria, colonial legacy
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