“Iku Ya J’esin”: Politically Motivated Suicide, Social Honor, and Chieftaincy Politics in Early Colonial Ibadan

dc.contributor.authorAdeboye, O.
dc.date.accessioned2022-11-14T09:29:01Z
dc.date.available2022-11-14T09:29:01Z
dc.date.issued2007
dc.descriptionScholarly articleen_US
dc.description.abstractSuicide 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 theseen_US
dc.identifier.citationAdeboye, 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)en_US
dc.identifier.urihttps://ir.unilag.edu.ng/handle/123456789/11871
dc.language.isoenen_US
dc.publisherCanadian Journal of African Studies Revue Canadienne des Études Africainesen_US
dc.subjectSuicideen_US
dc.subjectAnti-social behavioren_US
dc.subjectSociologistsen_US
dc.subjectPsychologistsen_US
dc.subjectResearch Subject Categories::HUMANITIES and RELIGION::History and philosophy subjectsen_US
dc.title“Iku Ya J’esin”: Politically Motivated Suicide, Social Honor, and Chieftaincy Politics in Early Colonial Ibadanen_US
dc.typeArticleen_US
Files
Original bundle
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
Loading...
Thumbnail Image
Name:
Adeboye [Iku Ya J'esin] 2007.pdf
Size:
274.62 KB
Format:
Adobe Portable Document Format
Description:
License bundle
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
Loading...
Thumbnail Image
Name:
license.txt
Size:
1.71 KB
Format:
Item-specific license agreed upon to submission
Description: