ELITE LIFESTYLE AND CONSUMPTION IN COLONIAL IBADAN
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Date
2003
Authors
Adeboye, O.
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Trenton, NJ: Africa World Press
Abstract
Every society has its own elite, whether represented as its "cream" (as in Western societies) or as eekan ("pegs") as in Yoruba thought. The crucial thing is that the elite constitute the movers of the society, the pacesetters and the leaders. The rest of society looks up to the elite and the values which it holds in esteem are generally considered imitable by the masses. The colonial period in Ibadan, as in other Nigerian cities and communities, witnessed the introduction of novel ideas, particularly in the guise of Western values. But more importantly, it was a time of interaction of cultures. Traditional values interacted with Western values. The outcome was a "hybrid" that was partly traditional and partly modern. It was a culture undergoing transformation, laying, as it were, the foundations of a new society. This chapter looks at the elite lifestyle and consumption in colonial Ibadan with a view toward identifying the antecedents of our modern culture of consumption. The basic assumption is that the elite in Ibadan in the period of study constituted an easily identifiable group with shared characteristics and common tendencies. Furthermore , three main issues are examined here. First is the definition and identification of the Ibadan elite in the colonial period and the factors responsible for its emergence. Secondly, there is the analysis of the indices for measuring lifestyle, and lastly is the mutation in values and styles of life over the years.
Description
Scholarly article
Keywords
Elites , Society , Lifestyle and Consumption , Traditional values , Research Subject Categories::HUMANITIES and RELIGION::History and philosophy subjects
Citation
Adeboye, O. A. (2003). Elite Lifestyle and Consumption in Colonial Ibadan” in Adebayo Oyebade (ed.), The Foundations of Nigeria: Essays in Honor of Toyin Falola, Trenton, NJ: Africa World Press, 2003, 281-304