Social Ethics and Governance in Contemporary African Writing is the
first book to bring rigorous literary, philosophical, and artistic
discourse together to interrogate the ethics of governance and
development in postcolonial Africa. It takes literature seriously as a
context for philosophical reflection, vividly engaging the human agency,
creativity, and resourcefulness of local Nigerians as political and
social actors and shedding new light on the dynamics of human
flourishing.
Drawing on important secondary scholarship across several humanities
disciplines, especially literature, philosophy, and the performing arts,
Nimi Wariboko provides compelling and innovative analysis of the
challenges and opportunities on governance and development in
postcolonial Nigerian state and society. With a detailed introductory
chapter and an authoritative analysis contained in six cohesive
chapters, all anchored in political and social ethics and close readings
of fascinating literary and artistic works-such as A. Igoni Barrett's
Blackass and the comedy skits of MC Edo Pikin-this is a landmark
contribution to Nigerian cultural studies. Wariboko's practical
engagement between literature and philosophy also opens up new ways of
seeing literary analysis as ethical methodology, beyond the specific
contexts of Nigeria or Africa.