“Iku Ya J’esin”: Politically Motivated Suicide, Social Honor, and Chieftaincy Politics in Early Colonial Ibadan
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Date
2007
Authors
Adeboye, O.
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Canadian Journal of African Studies Revue Canadienne des Études Africaines
Abstract
Suicide is generally regarded as an anti-social behavior. It is, perhaps, for
this reason that sociologists and psychologists, among other experts, have
been interested in studying the incidence of suicide in many societies.
Most modern theories on suicide, however, do not emphasize the idea of “heroic suicide.” Epitomizing this “genre” of suicide are the high profile,
politically motivated suicides in early colonial Ibadan examined here.
This article suggests that the key to understanding these suicide cases is
to be found not only in these people’s multilayered pasts — the general
Yoruba past and Ibadan’s nineteenth-century military heritage — but also
in their conception of honor and in their social norms. The ideals of honor
thus carried over into the twentieth century were so strong that they
survived the first three decades of colonial rule despite the intrigue-laced
nature of Ibadan chieftaincy politics and the official interference of the
colonial authorities. This article concludes that politically motivated
suicide, though self destructive was actually meant to serve an honorable
purpose such that those involved became heroes even in death. There is
therefore the need for suicide theorists to highlight exceptions like these
Description
Scholarly article
Keywords
Suicide , Anti-social behavior , Sociologists , Psychologists , Research Subject Categories::HUMANITIES and RELIGION::History and philosophy subjects
Citation
Adeboye, O. (2007). “Iku Ya J’esin”: Politically Motivated Suicide, Social Honor, and Chieftaincy Politics in Early Colonial Ibadan. Canadian Journal of African Studies Revue Canadienne des Études Africaines,41(02)