Politics in Colonial Ijebu, 1921-51:

No Thumbnail Available
Date
2006
Authors
Oduwobi, T.
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Abstract
As is well known, the distinctive feature of British colonial rule in most of tropical Africa was the utilization of indigenous authorities as the linchpin of local administration: the system 0/ Indirect Rule whereby the British ruled their colonial subjects through their indigenous institutions. But one concomitant of the British presence was the introduction of Western education, and there/ore the emergence of an educated class. The contrasting situation therefore developed in which the British, committed to the principles of indirect Rule, looked askance at the political ideas of the Western-educated class - the symbols and representatives of Western civilization. The manner in which this dilemma played itself out in Ijebu is the focus 0/ the paper: The chief feature is the opposition of the Western-educated class to political control by the indigenous ruling elite. There were three developmental phases: the first was the unsuccessful agitation of the members of the educated elite/or political relevance; the second was marked by political concessions to the educated elite; and the third phase occurred when the educated elite assumed the mantle of authority. However, their success was marked by a paradox: as the new political elite, they sought to attain legitimacy by acquiring indigenous office titles.
Description
Conference Paper
Keywords
Western Education , Indirect Rule
Citation
Oduwobi,T (2006) Politics in Colonial Ijebu, 1921-51:The Role and Challenge of the Educated Elite Canadian Journal of History/Annales canadiennes d'histoire XLI, autumu/automne,Canadian Journal of History,Canada.