A cultural perspective on the cycle of violent conflicts in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria

Abstract

Violent conflicts function as disincentives for sustainable socioeconomic development in conflict-prone societies, especially in the Global South. Existing studies focus largely on economic, political, and social triggers of violent conflicts—cultural factors are often not considered. This article studies the Niger Delta region of Nigeria, to investigate the importance of cultural factors in the cycle of violence. Analyzing field data collected in conflict-impacted communities, it is argued that an interplay of political, social, economic, and environmental drivers has engendered violent conflicts, and society’s permissiveness regarding violent behavior in the guise of the “Niger Delta struggle”, has created a latent culture of violence—reflected in the emergence of new cultural norms that support and encourage violent behavior. These norms shape individual and collective interpretations of the struggle for self-determination against structural violence meted out by the Nigerian state through militarization along with the economy of violence created by this struggle. Violent conflicts are increasingly a means to achieve socially desirable goals (e.g., wealth, political power, and status) as society rewards violent actors with social goods. This has created a cycle of violence as these rewards incentivize new entrants, while violence is increasingly legitimized in material and non-material aspects of culture.