Indicators of social and political conflict in African societies: on the articulation of witchcraft among the Nupe, Northern Nigeria
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CONTRIBUTORS:
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INSTITUTION ID:
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SERIES TITLE:
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YEAR:
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1983
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PUB TYPE:
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Working Paper/Manuscript
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WORKING PAPER NUMBER:
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32
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PAGES:
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34 p.
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SUBJECT(S):
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witchcraft;politcal economy;Nupe;Nigeria;modes of production;social conflict;
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DISCIPLINE:
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Sociology
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HTTP:
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LANGUAGE:
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English
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PUB ID:
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103-426-854
(Last edited on
2006/07/14 14:17:18 GMT-6)
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SPONSOR(S):
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ABSTRACT:
This article aims to provide better insight into the multiple facets of informal politics and covert social conflicts at the local level during the transformation of African states, using witchcraft accusations as an indicator and the Nupe of Northern Nigeria, as an example. A tentative long-term study on the growth of the Nupe state since pre-colonial times indicates a close relationship between the content and form of witchcraft accusations and the mode of production under which the stakeholders used to work. This paper is based on the author’s hitherto unpublished empirical material, which, although collected some twenty years ago, is not simply of historical value, but remains crucial in backing the major theses of the article. Over time, witchcraft accusations among the Nupe apparently served different, even antagonistic ends, depending on the mode of production in which they were embedded; these ranged from the defence of the village community against a flagrant violation of its social norms to the ruthless exploitation of the Nupe villages by their Fulani overlords. In the long run, however, the socio-economic impact of any form of witchcraft accusation undermines the very same mode of production on which it is based, thereby contributing to its own decline. Much of the continuing confusion in the literature on the apparent contradiction between “emancipating” and "oppressive" functions of witchcraft beliefs could be solved by considering this articulation between modes of production, witchcraft accusations, and the underlying vested interests of the ruling powers.
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