Overview

Britain's declaration of war on Germany on 3 September, 1939, made Nigeria, like many other African societies, active participants in the war against the Axis powers. Leading to large-scale mobilization of human and materials resources, it transformed lives and societies in irrevocable ways. Of the 90,000 West African soldiers deployed to South East Asia after 1943, over half came from Nigeria. In this important, revisionist history, Chima J. Korieh examines how the lives of Nigerian producers, workers, merchants, men, women, and children from across society were affected. It recounts the extraordinary and often neglected story of the Nigerian people who were drawn into a global war, the enormous demands it made on their resources, and the way it would change both their lives and the societies they lived in. By placing the role that African societies played in the war within the contextual and theoretical frameworks of colonialism, race, gender, identity, labour, intellectual, and social history, Korieh challenges the dominant perception that World War II was primarily a European conflict and reveals the global impact of ordinary Nigerians on the war effort.

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9781108444279

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Reviews

'Chima J. Korieh combines innovative concepts with fresh theoretical insights to present new data capable of reshaping how the WWII is studied in Africa and across other colonial sites. Clearly written and thoughtfully presented, this book is a product of a rigorous research and is undoubtedly a useful addition to the expanding historiography of WWII, colonialism, and empire.' Saheed Aderinto, Western Carolina University 'Korieh sheds new light on Nigeria's 'home front'; drawing together a diverse range of source material to show how the global conflict became interwoven with daily economic, political, and social life. Unusual within the historiography of World War Two Africa in that it makes substantial use of African voices, this is major contribution to the history of wartime Nigeria and to the re-centring of World War Two history away from Eurocentric accounts.' Oliver Coates, University of Cambridge 'Here is a mature, imaginative piece of scholarship that offers an engaging assessment of the volatile era in world history, extending the frontiers of scholarship on the Second World War, while also powerfully enriching our understanding of nascent radical nationalism in colonial Nigeria.' Toyin Falola, University of Texas at Austin 'A good overall look at Nigeria's 'national' role in the war, Korieh's account of the colony's military contribution is essentially introductory.' Albert A. Nofi, The NYMAS Review 'This competent book contributes significantly to the understanding of the late colonial period in Nigeria.' T. O. Falola, Choice

Author Information

Chima J. Korieh is Professor of History and Director of Africana Studies at Marquette University, Milwaukee where his research focuses on West African economic and social history in the colonial period. He is the author of 'Life Not Worth Living': Nigerian Petitions Reflecting an African Society's Experiences During World War II (2014). He was a British Academy Fellow at the University of Oxford.

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