Pattern of institutions in the Niger delta: Economic and ethnological interpretations of history and culture

This book has two aspects: Surface and Inner. The surface aspect is the investigation of historical processes and an anthropological study of the Niger Delta. The inner variety is a presentation of the foundation of social ethics in the Niger Delta. The first component sets forth a matrix of history, anthropology, and economics which aim is to articulate crucial interpretative claims about Eastern Niger Delta social organizations in a way that illuminates and transforms the philosophic self-understanding of the ljo people. Embedded in the execution of the first task is the second aspect through which we learn of the principles that define the societal organization, ethical ideals, social virtues, and ethos of the ljo people. It thus provides an account of the basis on which the ljo people of the Niger Delta sustain orderly activities and relationships among themselves. This account is shot through with thick descriptions and explanations that attempt to identify the sources and carriers of meaning and normativity in the ljo community. At the heart of this volume is an attempt to open up new ways for crossing boundaries between disciplines in order to ask fresh questions about the ljo.