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Nigeria, Nationalism, and Writing History. By Toy in Falo la and Saheed Aderinto. Rochester, NY: University of Rochester Press, 2010. Pp. xvi, 333; selected bibliography, index. $75.00.
Ah, Nigeria. Some love it. Some hate it. Most who know it do both. From frequent characterization as the "Superpower of Africa" to Soyinka's famous description of the country as the "Open Sore of a Continent" there is no shortage of opposing perspectives on this enigmatic African state. In this beautifully crafted new volume Falola and Aderinto bring a new and welcome perspective to the table. In Nigeria, Nationalism, and Writing History they explore the depth and diversity of Nigeria's national historiography and what this body of scholarship means for Nigeria's developing self-identity and for the development of African history itself. While highlighting the many contributions of Nigerian historians, the book is not overly celebratory or hagiographie. Indeed, a key theme of this text is that from a peak of creativity and influence in the 1960s and 1970s, the production of historical knowledge in Nigeria fell into a period of...