How colonial rule generated conditions for persistent violent confrontation

Honorable Mention, Association for Third World Studies 2010 Cecil B. Currey Award.Winner, 2010 Nigerian Studies Association Book Award

Colonialism and Violence in Nigeria looks closely at the conditions that created a legacy of violence in Nigeria. Toyin Falola examines violence as a tool of domination and resistance, however unequally applied, to get to the heart of why Nigeria has not built a successful democracy. Falola's analysis centers on two phases of Nigerian history: the last quarter of the 19th century, when linkages between violence and domination were part of the British conquest; and the first half of the 20th century, which was characterized by violent rebellion and the development of a national political consciousness. This important book emphasizes the patterns that have been formed and focuses on how violence and instability have influenced Nigeria today.

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Toyin Falola has worked extensively on both the impact of colonial rule and the role of violence in structuring social relations in Nigeria, and [this book] clearly stands at the intersection of two significant areas of his research.... [A] very welcome addition to the literature on Nigeria.2010, Volume 51

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Overall, this book brings a refreshing angle to a familiar subject. . . . The framework of violence particularly allows us to see both the power and limitations of the colonial state and in so doing, marks an important contribution to the broader scholarship on British imperialism in Africa. December 2010

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Colonialism and Violence in Nigeria is an indispensable resource for lecturers, and will endure as a useful synthesis for researchers and devotees of Nigerian history. Vol. 43, no. 2, 2010

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This book is another strong contribution from Africa's most prolific historian. . . . Recommended.July 2010

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This is an important topic, and it would take a scholar of Falola's prodigious range to do it justice. Indeed, the volume he has produced provides a useful and readable overview to the problem. July, 2010