GNS 201: Nigerian People and Culture

Course Overview

• GNS 201: Nigerian People and Culture is a 2-unit course with 10 study sessions
• The course aims to introduce students to the basic concepts of culture in the Nigerian context
• Course objectives include understanding the role of culture in socio-economic and political lives of Nigerians, familiarizing with the scope of culture and its characteristics

Culture

• Culture consists of two component parts: material and non-material aspects
  • Material aspects include artifacts and visible products of society
  • Non-material aspects include laws, belief systems, language, family patterns, music, ceremonies, literature, and folklore
• Culture is learned through symbolic and meaningful interactions with others in a social setting
• Culture is transmitted from one generation to another and is cumulative
• Culture has social quality, providing ideological quality and normative expectations

Qualities of Culture

• Culture is dynamic, implying it changes over time and space
• Factors responsible for cultural change include war, disaster, epidemics, invention, discovery, colonialism, education, and contact with another culture
• Cultural lag occurs when inconsistencies within a cultural system arise due to differences in rate of change among cultural elements

Culture, Diffusion, and Religion

• Culture diffusion refers to the transmission and assimilation of culture traits from one culture to another
• Islamic religion and Quran education first arrived in West Africa through diffusion in the 9th century
• In contemporary Nigeria, religion plays a significant role in shaping gender roles and relations
  • Islam has a major impact on the lives of women, particularly in terms of public visibility and participation
  • Christianity also influences gender roles, although in a more complex manner due to various branches and Western education

Markets and Products in Nigeria

• The study of culture can be broadly divided into material and non-material culture
• Material culture encompasses physical items such as clothing, cookware, housing materials, and billboards

Culture

• Culture refers to the bundle of learned and shared patterns of behavior and understanding concerning the meaning and value of things, facilitated by language and communication in a social group.
• Culture helps in explaining strange happenings, mysteries, folktales, folkways, science, technology, education, literature, arts, and dates among others.
• Culture possesses inalienable qualities.

Functions of Culture

• Defines situations as joyful or mournful.
• Explains myths, legends, symbols, and the supernatural.
• Defines attitudes, values, norms, and goals learned through socialization and observation.
• Spells out behavior patterns in society.
• Moulds individual behaviors and national character.
• Defines ways of life of a people.

Basic Concepts in Culture

• Culture shock: Not defined in the text, but implied to be a significant concept in culture.
• Culture diffusion: The transmission of culture traits from one culture to another.
• Culture lag: Not defined in the text, but implied to be a significant concept in culture.

Culture and Religion

• Nigerians are generally deeply religious people.
• Religion influences the material landscape and people's sense of place.
• In Muslim areas, mosques are prominent features of the landscape, and periodic calls to prayer are an important marker of people's daily schedules.
• In Christian areas, Biblical surnames are common, and people often incorporate Biblical phrases into various aspects of the textual landscape.
• Christians predominantly live in the south of the country, whereas Muslims live predominantly in the north.
• Native religions involve belief in deities, spirits, and ancestor worship, and are specific to different ethnic groups.

Subculture

• A subculture is a distinctive culture shared by a group within a society.

Glossary of Terms

• Culture: A complex art, mortals, law, customs, and any other capability acquired by man as a member of society.
• Cultural Trait: The smallest elements by which a culture can be described.
• Belief: Words that people in the society hold to be true.
• Myths: Traditional stories, especially those concerning early history or explaining natural or social phenomena, involving supernatural beings or events.
• Values: Culturally spelled-out principles of desirability guiding social interaction.
• Folkways: Norms for routine or casual interaction.

Explore the basics of Nigerian culture, its role in socio-economic and political lives, and its characteristics in this course overview.