Cultural Imperialism and the Suppression of African Traditional Institutions in Colonial Plateau State

This study examines the processes and consequences of cultural imperialism in colonial Plateau State, situated in Nigeria's North Central geopolitical zone, focusing on how British and missionary policies suppressed indigenous cultural institutions, religious practices, and traditional governance systems among the diverse ethnic groups of the Jos Plateau. The Plateau region was home to over 40 distinct ethnic groups including the Berom, Ngas, and Anaguta, each with developed traditional institutions that were systematically delegitimised by the colonial encounter. Using a descriptive historical design, the study draws on colonial administrative files, missionary society archives, and oral tradition records, supplemented by secondary literature published between 2019 and 2024. The Cultural Imperialism Theory and the Coloniality of Power Framework by Quijano provide the analytical lenses. Findings reveal that missionary suppression of traditional religious ceremonies, colonial taxation of ritual specialists, and the imposition of Western legal norms collectively eroded the authority of traditional governance institutions on the Plateau. The discovery of tin on the Jos Plateau accelerated colonial cultural disruption by introducing migrant labour communities that further destabilised indigenous social structures. The study argues that contemporary Plateau State conflicts have deep roots in the cultural dislocations of the colonial period. Keywords: cultural imperialism, colonial Plateau State, Jos, traditional institutions, indigenous cultures.