Social Cleavages
Religious Cleavage: There is tension between the 2 main religious groups in Nigeria: Islam (50%) and Christianity (40%). Religions influence on law making causes conflict between the groups as the North is illegally under Shari'a Law. The cleavage strongly influences voting, with people voting for their respective religion-favoring political party..
Political Cleavage: Closely linked to religion, conflict between the political parties of Nigeria is a source of much unrest. The elected party will favor a certain religion and thus drives conflict on a daily basis. The very prominent gap between the political parties influences how policies are made along with increased tension within the state.
Class Cleavage: There is a very large gap between the wealthy class and the average Nigerian. The Nigerian oil tycoons control large parts of society and the economy and can influence the state. There is rampant corruption in the government because of this. The wealthy-class's control over the state sways political decisions quite heavily. The participation of the upper class in politics is a major point in the day to day execution of governance.
Regional Cleavage: There is extreme tension between North and South Nigeria. It is caused by many ethnic, religious, and political differences.The regional cleavage causes extreme tension and results in perfectly polarized voting tendencies. The area in which a Nigerian lives strongly influences his or her participation in politics.
Ethnic Cleavage: Nigeria contains roughly 250 ethnic groups and thus experiences disunity and much tension. The different ethnic groups have their own religions and languages and do not generally interact with each other. The tribal separation heavily influences voting tendencies, thus, further polarizing the already very split voting of Nigerians.
Racial Cleavage: Nigeria is composed of roughly 99% Blacks, with a small number of Caucasians living there also (under 100 thousand). This leads to nearly no racial cleavage in Nigeria. If any conflict exists, it exists between the white minority and the blacks. Political participation is not affected by racial cleavage.
Gender Cleavage: There is extreme inequality between Nigerian men and women. In the North, women are denied voting rights. The educational, political, economic, and social disparity is so severe that tension is ever present between the sexes. The limitation placed on women does affect how they choose to vote thus altering political policy (to an extent).
Cross-Cutting Cleavage: Nigerian political ideals are closely linked to religous and ethnic cleavage. The combination of these two cleavages has led to significant separate of the North and South, but has strengthened the bond between Nigerians within the two regions. Aside from this example, no other cross-cutting cleavages exist as Nigeria is very strongly divided.
Coinciding Cleavage: There is a strong correlation between the North South regional cleavage and the Muslim Christian religious cleavage. These stacked cleavages causes serious upheaval in Nigeria. This upheaval has resulted in violence as well as polarized voting habits. The violence only leads to more drastic political participation from the opposite side.
I chose these cleavages in Nigeria because they are all closely related to each other. By understanding the links between these 7 cleavages, it is possible to grasp Nigeria's current situation as a whole. The religious, regional, ethnic, political, class, and gender cleavages are all linked closely. The overwhelming presence of coinciding cleavages has resulted in a very complex and violent political scene in Nigeria. In order to understand it, one must first understand all the social cleavages.
The main source of these cleavages is from the British colonization of Nigeria in the 19th century. The introduction of Christianity and Islam led to religious tension. The religious cleavage has led to slow but steady increased gender cleavage . The splitting of the country into 3 regions by the British led to the current North South regional cleavage. The invasive nature of the British and grouping of tribes led to the ethnic cleavage that is currently causing tension. The political and racial cleavage do not have many historical roots. The political cleavage roots are in late-20th century global events, and not older history. It is a product of the religious, regional, and ethnic cleavages caused by the British.
The main source of these cleavages is from the British colonization of Nigeria in the 19th century. The introduction of Christianity and Islam led to religious tension. The religious cleavage has led to slow but steady increased gender cleavage . The splitting of the country into 3 regions by the British led to the current North South regional cleavage. The invasive nature of the British and grouping of tribes led to the ethnic cleavage that is currently causing tension. The political and racial cleavage do not have many historical roots. The political cleavage roots are in late-20th century global events, and not older history. It is a product of the religious, regional, and ethnic cleavages caused by the British.
Helpful resources:
- http://www.polazzo.com/nigeria_4.htm
- https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ni.html
- http://www.indexmundi.com/nigeria/demographics_profile.html
- http://apcomparative.wikispaces.com/Nigeria
- http://countrystudies.us/nigeria/67.htm
- https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=5&ved=0CDkQFjAE&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.researchgate.net%2Fprofile%2FAliyu_Katsina%2Fpublication%2F230727758_Colonialism_post-colonialism_and_ethnic_cleavages_in_Africa_Nigeria_since_independence%2Flinks%2F09e415038660628679000000%3Forigin%3Dpublication_detail&ei=1ykkVJzLFJPkoAT9t4CgDg&usg=AFQjCNEc_HwRUabg_jVrHe1l0Lxi5-_udQ&sig2=DmmINiZVYPrOTYhMFDpFpw&bvm=bv.76247554,d.cGU&cad=rja