An Original Theory of Historical Consciousness and Post-Colonial National Identity Formation in Nigeria

This dissertation develops an original theory of historical consciousness and post-colonial national identity formation in Nigeria, arguing that the incoherence of Nigerian national identity and the persistence of ethnic over national identification cannot be adequately explained by elite manipulation or institutional design failures alone, but requires analysis of how historical consciousness has been produced, contested, and failed to generate integrative national narratives. The dissertation engages critically with Benedict Anderson's Imagined Communities Theory and Renan's theory of the nation as a daily plebiscite, extending both through an original application to Nigeria's distinctive multi-ethnic, post-colonial federal context. A multi-method theory-building methodology is employed, combining systematic analysis of Nigerian history curricula, national day commemorative speeches, museum exhibitions, and official historiography from 1960 to 2023; a nationally representative survey of 1,200 adult Nigerians measuring historical consciousness dimensions and national identity strength; and 65 qualitative interviews with historians, educators, politicians, and civic leaders across all geopolitical zones. Historical Memory Theory, the National Identity Formation Framework, and Postcolonial Theory jointly provide the anchors. The dissertation proposes the Historical Consciousness-National Identity Nexus Model, which specifies how particular configurations of shared historical memory, civic historical education, and contested historical trauma interact to produce or prevent integrative national identity. Keywords: historical consciousness, national identity, post-colonial Nigeria, memory theory, civic education.