Dr. Godwin Onuoha
Scholarship holder: 10/2007-01/2011
Dissertation defense: 02.02.2011
Predicate: cum laude
Supervisors: PD Dr. Jacqueline Knörr
Prof. Dr. Matthias Kaufmann
Contact
Dr. Godwin Onuoha
seit 01.03.2011 African Research Fellow, in the Democracy, Governance and Service Delivery (DGSD) programme of the Human Sciences Research Council
Private Bag X41
00001 Pretoria
South Africa 0001
phone: +27 (0)12 302 2820
gonuoha@hsrc.ac.za
Overview
Challenging the State in Africa: MASSOB; Ethnic Identity Politics and the Crisis of Self-Determination in Nigeria
This project deals with the study of ethnic identity politics in Nigeria. By drawing on the case of the Movement for the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB), the study strikes at the core of ethnicity, the crisis of state legitimacy and citizenship in Nigeria. Its thesis is that ethnic identity politics and the crisis of self-determination in Nigeria occur within the context of national and transnational processes that structures locality and power.
As a product of the British colonial enterprise the post-colonial nation-building project has remained a critical issue in Nigeria since independence. This directly impacts on the citizenship question and democratization, particularly as it relates to conflicting identities, claims to power, resources, entitlements and rights. The study reflects on the nature of pre-colonial Igbo social and political formations, the advent of colonialism and Igbo resistance: Aba riots, Ekwumeku wars, Pan-Igbo Unions, Biafra, Nigerian civil war and the position of the Igbo in the post-civil war Nigeria. In recent times, the perceived failure of elite Igbo groups (like Ohaneze, Aka Ikenga, among others) to address the grievances of the Igbo people has led to the emergence of radical groups, such as MASSOB; as an alternative to mainstream Igbo elite-led groups.
This trend is also placed in an emerging transnational context as it explores the impact of migrant populations and diasporic groups which have become powerful forces in homeland politics, and the impact of global pressures on citizenship rights in Africa. Within this context, transnational Igbo groups and individuals are also investing in alternative politics, including MASSOB. With the intensification of political contention through increased diaspora activism, funding and support, MASSOB is being transformed into a transnational radicalnationalist movement.
Curriculum Vitae
| 10/2007-01/2011 | Graduate Student Graduate School Asia and Africa in World Reference Systems Martin-Luther University, Halle-Wittenberg, Germany. |
| 2006-2007 | Certificate in Social and Political Theory Central European University, Budapest, Hungary. |
| 2006-2007 | Master of Science (Political Science) Department of Political Science, University of Lagos, Lagos, Nigeria. Dissertation: The United Nations Approach to Conflict Resolution and the Challenges of the Security Situation in the West African Sub-Region. (M.Sc Dissertation, Dept. of Political Science, University of Lagos, 2003). |
| 2002-2003 | Master of Science (Political Science) Department of Political Science, University of Lagos, Lagos, Nigeria. Dissertation: The United Nations Approach to Conflict Resolution and the Challenges of the Security Situation in the West African Sub-Region. (M.Sc Dissertation, Dept. of Political Science, University of Lagos, 2003). |
| 1995-1999 | Bachelor of Arts (History) Department of History, University of Lagos, Lagos, Nigeria. Dissertation: A Socio-Political History of Irete Community from the Earliest Times to 1900. (BA Dissertation, Dept. of History, University of Lagos, 1999). |
Academic Career
- A Socio-Political History of Irete Community from the Earliest Times to 1900. (BA-Abschlussarbeit, Fachbereich Geschichte, University of Lagos, 1999).
- The United Nations Approach to Conflict Resolution and the Challenges of the Security Situation in the West African Sub-Region. (Master of Science-Abschlussarbeit, Fachbereich Politikwissenschaft, University of Lagos, 2003).
- The Role of States in Industrial Development: A Comparison of the Oil Industry in Nigeria and Brazil. (M.A.-Abschlussarbeit, Fachbereich Politikwissenschaft, Central European University, Budapest/Ungarn, 2007).
Fellowship/Scholarship
| 2007-2011 | Graduate School Asia and Africa in World Reference Systems Scholarship, Martin-Luther University, Halle-Wittenberg |
| 2006-2007 | Central European University Fellowship |
Conference Papers
- "Globalization, Local Resistance and the Crisis of Governance in Nigeria's Niger Delta: A Case Study of the Ijaw Resistance".
(Vortrag wurde angefertigt für die 3. Internationale Konferenz des Globalization Studies Network (GSN), Kualar Lumpur/Malaysia, 21.-23. August 2006). - "Globalizing Inclusion or Exclusion: Globalization, Multinational Corporations, and Oil Conflict in Niger Delta Communities".
(Sitzungsbericht für die 6. Alljährliche Konferenz der Global Studies Association, Roehampton University, London/UK, 4.- 6. September 2006). - "Global Extraction and Local Resistance".
(Sitzungsbericht für die 6. Zweijährige Konfliktstudien-Konferenz, University of Massachusetts, Boston, 2.-4. November 2006). - "Exposed to Global Extraction: State, Mineral Multinationals and Sector-Led Development in Sub-Saharan Africa".
(Vortrag wurde angefertigt für die Konferenz über: The State, Mining and Development in Africa, University of Leeds, 13.-14. September, 2007)
Publications
Articles
- "The ‘Igbo Question’ and the Reinvention of Igbo Nationalism in Contemporary Nigeria". In A. O. Nwauwa and C. Korieh (eds.), ALL ODDS: The Igbo Experience in Post-Colonial Nigeria. Goldline & Jacobs Publishing, New Jersey, 2011
- "Local and External Intersections in African Conflicts: Issues, Trends and Perspectives in the Liberian Experience", in: Nigerian Journal of Policy and Development, Vol. 3, 2004.
- "The Proliferation of Small Arms and Light Weapons in Nigeria's Niger Delta: Local and Global Intersections", in: African Security Review, Vol.15, No. 2, 2006.