African Peacebuilding Network (APN) 2015 residential postdoctoral fellow Dr. Jeremiah Arowosegbe presented a seminar at the Institute of African Studies (IAS), Columbia University, New York, December 9, 2015. Dr. Arowosegbe’s presentation, titled “Ethnic Minorities and Land Conflicts in Southwestern Nigeria,” discussed the often neglected insecurities caused by land conflict in southwestern Nigeria. The seminar was moderated by Professor Mamadou Diouf, director of IAS and SSRC board of directors chair.

Dr. Arowosegbe stressed the importance of identity formation in Nigerian statebuilding, paying special attention to migrant and native populations. He also addressed the history of land use in southwestern Nigeria, mentioning the impact that migrating trade, missionary groups, and British colonialism have all had on current land conflicts between different Nigerian ethnic and minority groups. Time was left for Q&A, in which participants discussed other issues that could potentially lead to land conflict in South-Western Nigeria, such as a lack of available legal instruments for displaced persons and religious conflict.

This seminar was part of Dr. Arowosegbe’s one-month affiliation to IAS as visiting scholar, which took place during his three-month APN postdoctoral fellowship period. Prior to his time at Columbia University, Dr. Arowosegbe was in residency at the West African Research Center (WARC) in Dakar, Senegal.

Dr. Arowosegbe teaches political science at the University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria. He obtained a PhD in politics at the University of Ibadan in 2010. His major areas of research and teaching interest are African intellectual history, African history, and Indian and South-Asian histories, as well as African politics, African political thought, and political theory. His other areas of interest include development studies, postcolonial studies, and subaltern studies.

The APN residential postdoctoral fellowship helps early-career African PhD holders based in African universities to complete ongoing research projects focusing on a topic related to African peacebuilding.

The APN wishes to express its sincere gratitude to Columbia University, as well as WARC, for hosting Dr. Arowosegbe.