Competing Claims to Recognition in the Nigerian Public Sphere: A Liberal Argument about Justice in Plural Societies

As the world-wide clamour of group claims to difference and equality grows even louder, this text analyzes the complex constitutional devices required to accommodate ethnic differences in multi-ethnic Nigeria. Through an examination of the philosophical arguments of Will Kymclika and Charles Taylor, and the empirical studies of Arthur Lewis, Arend Lijphart, Eric Nordlinger and Donald Horowitz, Ejobowah reveals how constitutional structures that express cultural plurality must be carefully constructed to ensure both justice and social stability. This African case study on the impact of cultural and ethnic differences on political life should be of interest to scholars of multiculturalism and African studies seeking perspectives on the study of ethnic identity.