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Call for Publications Theme: Culture, Society and Development in Nigeria Subtitle: Issues, Challenges and Prospects Publication: Book Project Deadline: 25.9.2020 __________________________________________________ Concept of the Book Project Studies have shown that culture is vital to nation building. An understanding or the knowledge of one’s culture is really the basis from which development springs. No development can occur without an acknowledgement of the society’s cultural values and heritage. Moreso, no meaningful development can ever take place without having positive attitude towards one’s cultural heritage. However, in the colonial era and following the attainment of independence, this vital aspect of our heritage has been subsumed by westernization, civilisation and modernisation thereby rendering African culture and pride as mere cosmetics and window dressing. It is quite disturbing that with all her rich and diverse culture, histories, traditional technology, knowledge as well as natural resources, Nigeria is yet to be among the top ten (10) developed nations of the world. Indeed, in her quest for development and rapid transformation after independence some aspects of Nigeria’s cultural heritage and values have been neglected or relegated to the background. It is against this backdrop that this book aims at establishing the relationship between culture and development in Nigeria. The book will look at utilization of culture as genuine mechanism for identity, progress and development in Nigeria in particular and Africa in general. The book seeks to further address the relevance of history and culture through vigorous intellectual interventions and interrogation of the existing cultural order. In spite of the plethora of literature on the different aspects of culture in Nigeria, a good number of them glossed over cultural dynamisms in modern Nigeria or fail to address the role of history and traditions in societal development. Others even misconstrued culture with fetishism and diabolism. The memory of the griots are receding just as their ranks are depleting and since the younger generations have shown little or no interest in preserving the existing tradition and culture, it has become imperative to document available evidences before they are buried deep with time and development. Culture influences the way one views problems or challenges of the society, the manner of doing things and the solutions to those challenges. Every societal problem has its own unique solution, which is enshrined in cultural heritage. For example, in Yorubaland, herbs and local concoctions are regarded as amazingly effective for the treatment of any kind of sickness, ailment, calamity, epidemics and even pandemics. In addition, barrenness, mental disorder, epilepsy and other serious sicknesses that have defied orthodox medicine are better treated in traditional ways. Evidence abounds that most of the developed nations of the world are those that appreciate, preserve, protect and promote their cultural heritage. This book attempts to bridge the missing links between culture and nation-building in Nigeria that early historians have neglected. It will discuss the factors that contribute to a fascinating understanding of culture in Nigeria; analyse the nature of cultural values; examine the role of culture in contemporary Nigeria; and assess the nature of relationship between cultural values and modernisation. Contributors are expected to use diligent collection and analysis of oral and ethnographic data. The sub-themes will explore various aspects of Nigerian culture over time and their implications for the development of contemporary Nigeria. The sub-themes of the book project include but are not limited to the following: - Theoretical, Methodological and Conceptual Issues - Culture, civilisation and development - Culture, science, and technological development - Culture and gender studies - Culture, law, and legal system - Culture and Security - Culture and economic development - Culture and politics - Culture, environment, and climate change - Culture, migration, and settlement patterns - Culture, religion, and festivals - Culture and Diaspora - Culture and tourism - Culture, social lifestyle, fashion, music, entertainment, and drama - Culture and conflict resolution in contemporary Nigeria - Culture, health, education, and other infrastructural development - Cultural diplomacy - Digitalisation of Nigerian art and craft, culture, and monuments Note: Contributors are at the liberty to structure their topics within the context of the themes, sub-themes or create related themes and sub-themes within the context of the book. Due to the important nature of culture to nation building and the topics involved the editors wish to produce the book in two (2) volumes. Guidelines and Important Information Each potential contributor should submit an abstract of between 250 and 300 words as well as a complete paper electronically to nigerianculturebook2...@gmail.com before or on 25th September, 2020. The accepted and corrected paper of not more than 5000 words prepared as Microsoft Word document should include author’s name, title of the paper, institutional affiliation, email address, phone number. The corrected and clean copies of the article should therefore be forwarded to the editors through the above email not later than 25th October, 2020. Papers should be in British English, Times New Roman, 12 Font Size, 1.5-line spacing and should conform to the Modern Language Association (MLA) Style (footnotes and Bibliography). A short bio-data of not more than 100 words should be submitted along with the paper. Each paper/chapter will undergo series of screening and blind peer review. The following conditions are expected to be met before the successful papers could be published: a. That you address all necessary corrections within the stipulated period and send back a clean copy electronically. b. Referencing style and documentation acceptable by the publishers and editors is MLA Chicago Manual Style. All notes should be in footnotes and must be original written in clear-cut terms and sources properly acknowledged. Tables, plates, maps, and figures should be acknowledged in the text. c. That the book will be published by a credible publishing outfit in Nigeria. Editors Ranti Ojo, PhD University of Abuja, Nigeria Saibu Israel Abayomi Anchor University Lagos, Nigeria Contact: Saibu Israel Abayomi Department of History and Diplomatic Studies Anchor University Lagos, Nigeria Email: adesa...@gmail.com __________________________________________________ InterPhil List Administration: https://interphil.polylog.org InterPhil List Archive: https://www.mail-archive.com/interphil@list.polylog.org/ __________________________________________________
