Contemporary Dimensions of Migration Among Historically Migrant Nigerians
Department
History and Philosophy
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
6-1997
Abstract
The article places the migration of Fulani pastoral nomads to south-western Nigeria in historical context. Their transhumant pastoralism has had the potential for violence with their Yoruba host communities, but in recent times their movements have avoided the violence which their economic activites might have generated. The absence of proper documentation of this migration raises the problem of examining the historical events or movements of outsiders because of their foreignness. Yet, discussion of current migration and refugee issues would be incomplete if the role and the conditions of the historically migrant Fulani were ignored. A consideration of how conflicts have been resolved or avoided demonstrates that the relationships between nomads and their Yoruba hosts may have some insights into the interaction between refugee populations and their hosts.