Obafemi Awolowo and the Making of Remo

This admirable and richly textured book should be widely read not only by those interested in Yoruba history and modern Nigeria but by all those who seek a mature understanding of the intricate connections between local and national politics. Nolte provides powerful insights on the towering stature of Chief Obafemi Awolowo, the preeminent politician of the era, along with the social dimensions of power, the richness of political networks, institutional conflicts, the construction of mythologies of power and popular loyalty, and many more crucial topics, all ably analyzed with clarity and precision. -- Toyin Falola, The Frances Higginbotham Nalle Centennial Professor in History, University of Texas at Austin This is one of the most important books in Nigerian Studies in the last decade. It is thoroughly researched, lucidly analytical, and impressive in scope and depth. This book will establish Nolte's place as an important scholar of Nigerian and Yoruba Studies. -- Olufemi Vaughan, Geoffrey Canada Professor of History & Africana Studies, Bowdoin College, Brunswick Nolte's theme is the quest for political participation and consensus in the Nigerian Yoruba town of Remo. Shadowing this tale is the life of Remo's most distinguished son, the Nigerian statesman Obafemi Awolowo. Nolte provides a fascinating tapestry of Remo life, as well as the single best portrait available of Awolowo's background and personality. Gratifyingly detailed but clearly presented, Nolte's book is rich and rewarding. In sum, this is a model study of Africa's past and present and it proclaims the arrival of a scholar of formidable gifts. -- T.C. McCaskie, Professor of the History of Africa, School of Oriental and African Studies, London One of the most important contributions of this book is the way in which the author not only (conceptually) emphasises but also (empirically) demonstrates the everyday-ness of political and cultural legitimacy in late colonial and post-colonial Africa... By historicising and spelling out ideology in a local milieu as politico-cultural guide in the daily practices of social actors, Nolte instructs that the discourse of democracy must begin to contend more with the 'wider ranges of social routines ' that define political life in Africa. -- Wale Adebanwi - JMAS A short review cannot do justice to this work's richness in historical detail and analytical scope. The book speaks to many current concerns and will be required reading for historians working on Nigeria. -- Dmitri Van Den Bersselaar Journal of African History This admirable and richly textured book should be widely read not only by those interested in Yoruba history and modern Nigeria but by all those who seek a mature understanding of the intricate connections between local and national politics. Nolte provides powerful insights on the towering stature of Chief Obafemi Awolowo, the preeminent politician of the era, along with the social dimensions of power, the richness of political networks, institutional conflicts, the construction of mythologies of power and popular loyalty, and many more crucial topics, all ably analyzed with clarity and precision. This is one of the most important books in Nigerian Studies in the last decade. It is thoroughly researched, lucidly analytical, and impressive in scope and depth. This book will establish Nolte's place as an important scholar of Nigerian and Yoruba Studies. Nolte's theme is the quest for political participation and consensus in the Nigerian Yoruba town of Remo. Shadowing this tale is the life of Remo's most distinguished son, the Nigerian statesman Obafemi Awolowo. Nolte provides a fascinating tapestry of Remo life, as well as the single best portrait available of Awolowo's background and personality. Gratifyingly detailed but clearly presented, Nolte's book is rich and rewarding. In sum, this is a model study of Africa's past and present and it proclaims the arrival of a scholar of formidable gifts. One of the most important contributions of this book is the way in which the author not only (conceptually) emphasises but also (empirically) demonstrates the everyday-ness of political and cultural legitimacy in late colonial and post-colonial Africa... By historicising and spelling out ideology in a local milieu as politico-cultural guide in the daily practices of social actors, Nolte instructs that the discourse of democracy must begin to contend more with the 'wider ranges of social routines ' that define political life in Africa. A short review cannot do justice to this work's richness in historical detail and analytical scope. The book speaks to many current concerns and will be required reading for historians working on Nigeria.