International Sociology and International Sociology Reviews

‘Indigenous resistance’ is our Topic of the Month for December 2022. On this topic, enjoy Free Access to this article by Henry Uche Obuene, Olayinka Akanle and Ayokunle Olumuyiwa Omobowale (University of Ibadan, Nigeria) published in International Sociology, Land grabbing and resistance of indigenous landowners in Ibadan, Nigeria. Read on to know more about the authors’ trajectory and work.

Henry Uche Obuene

Olayinka Akanle

Ayokunle Olumuyiwa Omobowale

Henry Uche Obuene recently bagged his PhD in sociology of development from the Department of Sociology of the prestigious University of Ibadan. Dr. Obuene interrogates everyday emerging issues critically exploring their social, cultural and epistemological contours and developmental implications. Among others, he researches sociology of development, social problems, conflict, industrial sociology and the sociology of the family. His publications have appeared in learned reputable journals including International Sociology. He is currently examining urbanity, waste governance and social relations. From victimology and development perspectives, Dr. Obuene is opening up evolution of land tussles in pre-colonial and post-colonial Nigeria and its attendant unintended consequences.

The observed regrettable experiences shared by some government land allottees in Ibadan inspired the exploratory interrogation out of which this paper “Land grabbing and resistance of indigenous landowners in Ibadan, Nigeria” was produced. The paper unpacks elitist accumulation by dispossession of the indigenous land owners of their land rights using the instrumentality of the state, and consequent resistance by the dispossessed. The study clearly depicted scenarios in which land was taken in various ways, as well as the intended and unintended consequences for the landowners. We are exploring other gaps which our study has empirically unearthed especially as regards how power and land relations intersect in the public land governance and acquisition and attendant new forms of resistance relations between the indigenous peoples and the government.

Olayinka Akanle (PhD). Senior Lecturer in the Department of Sociology, Faculty of The Social Sciences, University of Ibadan, Nigeria and Senior Research Associate in the Department of Sociology, Faculty of Humanities, University of Johannesburg, South Africa. Was a Postdoctoral Fellow at the South African Research Chair Initiative (SARChI) in Social Policy, College of Graduate Studies, University of South Africa (UNISA), South Africa. Won scholarly awards including World Social Science Fellowship (WSSF) of The International Social Science Council (ISSC), Paris, France, the Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa (CODESRIA), Dakar, Senegal laureateship and University of Ibadan, Nigeria Postgraduate School Prize for scholarly publication. Recipient of Folke Bernadotte Academy, Swedish Agency for Peace, Security and Development, Sweden’s Certificate of Achievement.

Analytically ingenious sociologist with intersectional research interests covering clusters of: international migration and diaspora; gender, family and sexuality; child and youth; governance and environment; epistemology and knowledge production; conflict, crime and security; health and medicine. Member of many funded research groups.

Widely published intellectual with more than 150 publications. Attended many local and international scholarly conferences. Author, editor and co-editor of books including: The Development of Africa: Issues, Diagnosis and Prognosis (Springer Publishing, Germany, 2018), Corruption and Development in Nigeria (Routledge Publishing, UK, 2022), Youth Exclusion and Empowerment in the Contemporary Global Order: Contexts of Economy, Education and Governance (Emerald Publishing, UK, 2022) and Youth Exclusion and Empowerment in the Contemporary Global Order: Existentialities in Migrations, Identity and the Digital Space (Emerald Publishing, UK, 2022).

Ayokunle Olumuyiwa Omobowale (PhD) is a Professor of Sociology at the University of Ibadan. Prof. Omobowale studies Development in Context. He has won the University of Ibadan Postgraduate School Award for scholarly publication, 2007, Institut Français de Recherche en Afrique Research Fellowship 2009, American Council of Learned Societies-African Humanities Programme Post-Doctoral Fellowship 2010 and African Studies Association (USA) Presidential Award 2014. Prof. Omobowale was also a Visiting Scholar at the Centre for African Studies, Rutgers University, New Jersey, USA in November 2014.

His works have appeared in peer review journals and edited volumes locally and internationally. He served on the Board of Editors of International Encyclopedia of Revolution and Protest (2009) and he is the author of The Tokunbo Phenomenon and the Second-hand Economy in Nigeria (2013). He is the Editor of Ibadan Journal of Sociology and is also an International Partner and Participant in the International Network on Women on the Move COST Action (CA19112) 2020-2022 https://www.cost.eu/cost-action/women-on-the-move/#tabs|Name:overview.