Rage and carnage in the name of God: religious violence in Nigeria
Introduction: Of Nigeria, religion, and violence -- Religion and Nigerian society -- Islam and violence in Nigeria -- Christianity and violence in Nigeria -- Traditional religions and violence in Nigeria -- Boko Haram and the "new" phase of violence -- National politics, intergroup relatio...
| Summary: | Introduction: Of Nigeria, religion, and violence -- Religion and Nigerian society -- Islam and violence in Nigeria -- Christianity and violence in Nigeria -- Traditional religions and violence in Nigeria -- Boko Haram and the "new" phase of violence -- National politics, intergroup relations, and religious violence in Nigeria -- The economics of religious violence in Nigeria -- Nigeria's religious violence in the context of global politics -- Conclusion: The impossibility of the best and the unlikelihood of the worst. "In Rage and Carnage in the Name of God Abiodun Alao interrogates how Nigeria's three main religions (Christianity, Islam and traditional religions) have been associated with violence in post-independence Nigeria, and how the violence has affected the inter-group relations in the country. While most recent books on the subject focus on Boko Haram, Rage and Carnage in the Name of God avoids concentrating on a phenomenon-specific subject or quasi-ethnographic cases in order to look at broader themes on religion's connection with violence in post-independence Nigeria. Alao traces the evolution of the religions and their connections with the Nigerian society. There are also discussions on how the various conflicts generated by religion have intertwined with national politics, the economic ramifications of the violence, and the ways through which global politics has keyed into the various manifestations"-- In Rage and Carnage in the Name of God, Abiodun Alao examines the emergence of a culture of religious violence in postindependence Nigeria, where Christianity, Islam, and traditional religions have all been associated with violence. He investigates the root causes and historical evolution of Nigeria's religious violence, locating it in the forced coming together of disparate ethnic groups under colonial rule, which planted the seeds of discord that religion, elites, and domestic politics exploit. Alao discusses the histories of Christianity, Islam, and traditional religions in the territory that became Nigeria, the effects of colonization on the role of religion, the development of Islamic radicalization and its relation to Christian violence, the activities of Boko Haram, and how religious violence intermixes with politics and governance. In so doing, he uses religious violence as a way to more fully understand intergroup relations in contemporary Nigeria Acknowledgments ix Introduction: Of Nigeria, Religion, and Violence 1 1. Religion and Nigerian Society 19 2. Islam and Violence in Nigeria 45 3. Christianity and Violence in Nigeria 77 4. Traditional Religions and Violence in Nigeria 101 5. Boko Haram and the New Phase of Violence 115 6. National Politics, Intergroup Relations, and Religious Violence in Nigeria 153 7. The Economics of Religious Violence in Nigeria 189 8. Nigeria's Religious Violence in the Context of Global Politics 207 Conclusion: The Impossibility of the Best and the Unlikelihood of the Worst 225 Notes 239 Bibliography 267 Index 285 |
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| Item Description: | Includes bibliographical references and index |
| ISBN: | 1478015535 |