Political Economy of Yorubaland Prior to Colonialism
No Thumbnail Available
Date
2014
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Ijagun Journal of History and Diplomacy
Abstract
One of the negative effects of colonialism on African societies was the disruption, and eventual replacement of indigenous social and economic structures, sub-structures and superstructures with structures of global capitalism, for the purpose of easy appropriation of local resources for the benefit of the metropolis. The supplanting of centuries-old and tested structures of the Yoruba people of Southwestern Nigeria, not only weakened the fabrics that held the society together, but also rendered the people and their culture amenable and vulnerable to the exploitative tendencies of British colonial machineries. This paper explores the political economy of Yorubaland prior to colonialism. It demonstrates how per-colonial society structures synergized to create orderliness, ensure prosperity and maintain inter-class harmony among the people, using taxation as its unit of analysis. The paper posits that per-colonial financing system of the government which was modified to provide afulcrum on which the colonial tax administration rested. In essence, the paper sheds light on the sources of revenue of the various government in per-colonial Yorubaland, all of which the British encapsulated in taxation, rents and dues.
Description
Journal
Keywords
Yorubaland, Precolonial, Racialized, Taxation