*Ships August 1st*

The Nature of Political Power in Igboland

Edited by Maria Angelica Batista, Chima J. Korieh, and James A. Robinson

One of the most important facts about African political development is the relative absence of
large states along Eurasian lines. For some reason, African communities placed a high value on
autonomy and independence, and/or were particularly concerned about the potential for
abuse by centralized authority. Igbo society is a perfect example of how Africans organized
themselves autonomously and democratically, and of how they resisted political centralization.
This book explores the nature of Igbo political institutions, focusing on the ways political
authority is decentralized and controlled by several groups based on gender, age, and the Igbo
worldview. The collection deepens our understanding of African political development in
Nigeria, particularly in the Igbo region, and of the logic behind political decentralization,
compared to that in surrounding societies such as the Edo, Yoruba, and Igala. The Nature of
Political Power in Igboland forces a critical understanding of how political and economic
arrangements intersect with the Igbo Worldview, societal arrangements, their gendered nature,
and how the role of women and men in these spheres offer some explanation for women’s
unique roles in Igbo society.

MARIA ANGÉLICA BAUTISTA is a Senior Research Associate at the University of Chicago Harris
School of Public Policy. Maria’s research focuses on the political, economic, and social
consequences of state-led repression.

CHIMA J. KORIEH is an award-winning historian of modern Nigeria and has taught at Marquette
University, Admiralty University of Nigeria, and the University of Nigeria. His research focuses
on the social and economic history of Nigeria in the colonial period. He was formerly a British
Academy Fellow at the University of Oxford and a recipient of the 2025 Way Klinger
Distinguished Fellowship.

JAMES A. ROBINSON is an economist and political scientist, and University Professor at the
Harris School of Public Policy of the University of Chicago, where he led the Pearson Institute
for the Study and Resolution of Global Conflicts. He is the recipient of the Sveriges Riksbank
Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel 2024 for his work on “how institutions
are formed and affect prosperity.”