Behind the Clouds: Teaching and Researching Anthropology in Tertiary Institutions in Nigeria

Abstract

The paper focuses on teaching and researching of anthropology as a culture centred discipline in Nigeria. It notes that in spite of decades of emergence as a university discipline, anthropology has not been able to break through the negative clouds of colonialism and subjugation to its twin discipline, sociology. Factors responsible for the poor state of teaching and research in anthropology in Nigeria include institutional and structural incapacities and limitations, a curriculum that fails to address both the aspirations of the students and the role of the discipline in national development as well as the inability of the anthropologists themselves to rise up to the dynamic challenges of contemporary Nigerian society. In view of the foregoing, there is
need for a serious rethinking and fundamental restructuring of the discipline focusing essentially on the curriculum, professionalism and development values of the discipline. It is only through the above that teaching and researching in anthropology would be more fruitful to both theoretical and practical concerns as an authentic narrative and imagery of African cultural realities.