Nigeria in the Twentieth Century

TOYIN FALOLA (ed.)j Nigeria in the Twentieth Century. Durham NC: Carolina Academic Press (hb US$90.00 - 0 89089 129 X). 2002, 1064 pp.

This is a heavy volume in several respects. Its physical weight is enormous, the number of topics covered in the essays wide-set, the implicit ambition to provide an overview of Nigerian Studies at the beginning of the new millennium serious. The book is the result of a conference held at the University of Texas at Austin in March 2002, in the annual series of African Studies conferences so handily set up by Professor Falola. The format of diese conferences is quite open, and allows scholars of African Studies, both mature and green, and from diverse academic and geographical backgrounds, to interact and present their research. Many of the papers presented at these conferences find their way into publications. On the one hand, this format is very powerful, as it guarantees a continuous flow of research results and academic reviews towards a wider audience. On the...