The Nigerian State and Peasants

Antinomies of A Marginalized Social Category

Abstract

This paper explores the way and manner the Nigerian state responds to the changing demands of peasants and how successive policies and programmes tends to undermine, marginalize and destroy the peasant way of life. Despite enormous state pressure and control, the peasantry has continued to resist change and adaptation not necessarily because of their strength as a group but largely due to failure of state policies and programmes to integrate and subdue them. Using the class theory, the study explores the conflicting and often contradictory relationship between the state and peasants in Nigeria. It concludes that the peasantry, despite years of repressive state policies, remains a strong potent social force and that we need more theoretical and methodological search for us to come to terms with the complexities of peasant mode of behavior.