Contested numbers: Census controversies and the press in 1960s Nigeria
(2021) In Journal of African History p.235-253- Abstract
- This article reconstructs the controversies following the release of the figures from Nigeria's 1963 population census. As the basis for the allocation of seats in the federal parliament and for the distribution of resources, the census is a valuable entry point into postcolonial Nigeria's political culture. After presenting an overview of how the Africanist literature has conceptualized the politics of population counting, the article analyses the role of the press in constructing the meaning and implications of the 1963 count. In contrast with the literature's emphasis on identification, categorization, and enumeration, our focus is on how the census results informed a broader range of visual and textual narratives. It is argued that... (More)
- This article reconstructs the controversies following the release of the figures from Nigeria's 1963 population census. As the basis for the allocation of seats in the federal parliament and for the distribution of resources, the census is a valuable entry point into postcolonial Nigeria's political culture. After presenting an overview of how the Africanist literature has conceptualized the politics of population counting, the article analyses the role of the press in constructing the meaning and implications of the 1963 count. In contrast with the literature's emphasis on identification, categorization, and enumeration, our focus is on how the census results informed a broader range of visual and textual narratives. It is argued that analysing the multiple ways in which demographic sources shape debates about trust, identity, and the state in the public sphere results in a richer understanding of the politics of counting people and narrows the gap between demographic and cultural history. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/4173d721-8c81-4211-b1b5-35b189d07f97
- author
- Serra, Gerardo and Jerven, Morten LU
- publishing date
- 2021
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- in
- Journal of African History
- pages
- 235 - 253
- publisher
- Cambridge University Press
- external identifiers
-
- scopus:85113218545
- ISSN
- 0021-8537
- DOI
- 10.1017/S0021853721000438
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- no
- id
- 4173d721-8c81-4211-b1b5-35b189d07f97
- date added to LUP
- 2022-01-05 09:24:13
- date last changed
- 2022-04-27 07:06:15
@article{4173d721-8c81-4211-b1b5-35b189d07f97,
abstract = {{This article reconstructs the controversies following the release of the figures from Nigeria's 1963 population census. As the basis for the allocation of seats in the federal parliament and for the distribution of resources, the census is a valuable entry point into postcolonial Nigeria's political culture. After presenting an overview of how the Africanist literature has conceptualized the politics of population counting, the article analyses the role of the press in constructing the meaning and implications of the 1963 count. In contrast with the literature's emphasis on identification, categorization, and enumeration, our focus is on how the census results informed a broader range of visual and textual narratives. It is argued that analysing the multiple ways in which demographic sources shape debates about trust, identity, and the state in the public sphere results in a richer understanding of the politics of counting people and narrows the gap between demographic and cultural history.}},
author = {{Serra, Gerardo and Jerven, Morten}},
issn = {{0021-8537}},
language = {{eng}},
pages = {{235--253}},
publisher = {{Cambridge University Press}},
series = {{Journal of African History}},
title = {{Contested numbers: Census controversies and the press in 1960s Nigeria}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S0021853721000438}},
doi = {{10.1017/S0021853721000438}},
year = {{2021}},
}