The Women Went Radical: Petition Writing and Colonial State in Southwestern Nigeria, 1900-1953Woman in twentieth century colonial Africa experienced a loss of power in their social-economic status. The Women Went Radical provides a narrative of radical expressions extracted from the numerous petitions written to advance and advocate the cause of Yoruba women through individual and collective action. This analyses the impact and implication of petition writing on the administration of traditional and modern governments in colonial Yorubaland. The political context accurately projects the roles of women in influencing, resisting, negotiating and counteracting policies within the political system. The research argues that petition writing is a form of politics and radicalism that is not limited to national issues but also to their manifestation from the actions of the citizens—that is ‘politics from the grassroots’. |
Contents
CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION | 1 |
CHAPTER TWO Gender Politics and Petitions | 19 |
CHAPTER THREE Native Courts Urban Economies and Womens Petitions | 41 |
CHAPTER FOUR Petition Writing in Lagos and Ibadan | 77 |
CHAPTER FIVE Petition Writing in Abeokuta and Ijebu | 125 |
CHAPTER SIX Conclusion | 167 |
Appendix I EXTRACT FROM THE MINUTES OF THE IFE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEETING HELD ON 23RD JUNE 1954 | 173 |
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Common terms and phrases
Abeokuta actions activities administration African alake associated became British century challenged Change chiefs child cities civil collective colonial context Council created culture Daily demand District divorce domestic dowry economic Egba English European explains expressed fact father female gender girls given governance History husband Ibadan Ijebu important institution interest involved issues iyalode Journal Kuti Lady Lagos Lagos market land Lebanese letter lives Madam market women marriage Masculinities means meeting Native Authority native courts Nigerian officer organisation parents party perspective petitions petitions written policies political position practice presented Prof protest Province role rule Service social society Source status street taxation towns trade traditional Union University University Press West Western wives woman World writing Yoruba Yorubaland