This comprehensive thematic encyclopedia examines Nigeria, Africa’s largest country, from geography and history to etiquette and pop culture.
Once known for being an early settlement for human existence, Nigeria is now becoming better known for being a global oil giant, serving as one of the largest oil producers in the world. What is contemporary life like in this African powerhouse nation?
This latest volume in the Understanding Modern Nations series focuses on Nigeria, the most populous country in Africa. Thematic chapters examine topics such as geography, history, politics, economics, literature, music, food, gender, class, religion, etiquette, and more. Each chapter begins with an overview, providing a general background on the topic, and then opens into encyclopedia entries to further explore the topic. An appendix offers “Day in the Life” profiles of a typical day in the lives of representative members from Nigerian society. A timeline, a glossary, a holidays chart, a bibliography, tables, and sidebars round out the text. This volume will be useful to high school and undergraduate students but is also accessible to general readers interested in learning about Nigeria.
Features
- Includes “Day in the Life” features that portray the specific daily activities of various people in Nigeria, from teenagers to working adults in different fields, providing readers insight into daily life in the country
- Defines key terms related to the reading in a glossary appendix
- Provides at-a-glance information about Nigeria’s important religious and secular holidays in a chart of national holidays
- Illuminates the text in photos that help to illustrate key topics and allow students to dive more deeply into ideas
- Provides fun facts and anecdotal information in sidebars that help to engage readers
Alex Egodotaye Asakitikpi, PhD, is professor of sociology at Monash University South Africa Campus. He is a trained archaeologist, anthropologist, and sociologist specializing in cultural, social, and medical anthropology and sociology. He is head of the department of sociology at Monash South Africa and a nonresident scholar at Duke University’s Centre for Religion/Spirituality and Health. He is also a member of the Executive Board of the International Sociological Association Research Committee 13. His research interests include the anthropology of death and dying, the interface of religion/spirituality and health outcomes, African indigenous medicines and medical systems, and health policy.
Aretha Oluwakemi Asakitikpi, PhD, is executive director at Kainos Projects in Nigeria. She has a BA in cultural anthropology, a master’s in communication and language arts, and a PhD in visual arts/African art history from the University of Ibadan. She is an alumnus of Brown University’s Institute of Advanced Research, a resource person to the Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa (CODESRIA), headquartered in Senegal, and has collaborated with academics and researchers at Humboldt University, in Germany, on leisure and development. Her research interests are in gender, media, and cultural studies, and in history and development.
Understanding Modern Nations
The Understanding Modern Nations series profiles individual nations that are of interest to high school students and undergraduates, focusing on countries that are often studied in school as well as countries that have made major headlines in recent years.
With coverage of topics such as geography, history, politics and government, economy, society, culture, social media, pop culture, and personal accounts of daily life, these volumes serve as ideal resources for students of geography, social studies, anthropology, political science, and more. Additional topics examine religion, social classes and ethnicity, gender and sexuality, education, language, etiquette, literature and drama, art and architecture, music and dance, food, and leisure and sport.
General overviews of each topic provide students with a basic foundation on the subject, and entries pertaining to the topic—such as biographies of significant people in the field, iconic events, and key ideas—follow each overview. Sidebars and photos, facts and figures that are integral to better understanding the countries, a glossary of key terms, and a holidays chart round out the coverage in each of these accessible, engaging volumes.
