Civil Society, Conflict Resolution, and Democracy in Nigeria

Noting that scholars have tended to overlook the internal political climate of civil society groups and to focus primarily on their external behaviors within the national polity, this study is the first book-length treatment of Nigerian democratic development to address Nigerian civil society in its entirety with research from more than 60 different groups. It fuses political science literature on democratization with conflict resolution theory. Kew discusses international influences on civil society’s democratic role. Citing his book as especially important in light of the persistence of failed and failing states and rising violent extremism across the African continent and the Middle East, he aims to contribute to the search for a more precise understanding of the contribution of civil society to the democratization process. He provides extensive evidence from Nigeria that civil society groups themselves who are more democratic are more effective democracy-promoting organizations, and emphasizes that the future rests not with the oligarchs, but with the irrepressible Nigerian spirit. Annotation ©2016 Ringgold, Inc., Portland, OR (protoview.com)

Darren Kew is associate professor and chair of the department of conflict resolution, human security, and global governance, and executive director of the Center for Peace, Democracy, and Development at the University of Massachusetts, Boston.