Civil Society, Conflict Resolution, and Democracy in Nigeria / Darren Kew.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Kew, Darren, author.

Series:

Syracuse studies on peace and conflict resolution.

Syracuse studies on peace and conflict resolution

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Conflict management--Nigeria.

Conflict management.

Democracy--Nigeria.

Democracy.

Civil society--Nigeria.

Civil society.

Genre:

Electronic books.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (450 p.)

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

Syracuse, New York : Syracuse University Press, 2016.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

African nations have watched the recent civic dramas of the Arab Spring and Occupy Wall Street asking if they too will see similar civil society actions in their own countries. Nigeria-Africa's most populous nation-has long enjoyed one of the continent's most vibrant civil society spheres, which has been instrumental in political change. Initially viewed as contributing to democracy's development, however, civil society groups have come under increased scrutiny by scholars and policymakers. Do some civil society groups promote democracy more effectively than others? And if so, which ones, and why?By examining the structure, organizational cultures, and methods of more than one hundred Nigerian civil society groups, Kew finds that the groups that best promote democratic development externally are themselves internally democratic. Specifically, the internally democratic civil society groups build more sustainable coalitions to resist authoritarian rule; support and influence political parties more effectively; articulate and promote public interests in a more negotiable fashion; and, most importantly, inculcate democratic norms in their members, which in turn has important democratizing impacts on national political cultures and institutions. Further, internally democratic groups are better able to resolve ethnic differences and ethnic-based tensions than their undemocratically structured peers.This book is a deeply comprehensive account of Nigerian civil society groups in the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. Kew blends democratic theory with conflict resolution methodologies to argue that the manner in which groups-and states-manage internal conflicts provides an important gauge as to how democratic their political cultures are. The conclusions will allow donors and policymakers to make strategic decisions in their efforts to build a democratic society in Nigeria and other regions.

Contents:

Competing visions of civil society

Democratic theory and conflict resolution methods: gauging civil society's democratic impact

Nigerian state and Nigerian civil society

The traditional way: the first generation of Nigerian civil society

The power of the social contract: the second generation of Nigerian civil society

Replacing the receding state: the third generation of Nigerian civil society

Nigerian civil society under authoritarian rule in the 1990s: the primacy of democratic structures in democracy promotion

Epilogue: Nigerian civil society under the young democracy, 1999-2015

Appendix: Nigerian civil society groups.

Notes:

Includes index.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on print version record.

Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.

ISBN:

9780815653677

0815653670

OCLC:

949276306