Empirical Analysis of Canon Formation in Nigerian University Comparative Literature Syllabi

The literary canon as institutionalised in university syllabi reflects broader dynamics of cultural power, colonial inheritance, and disciplinary convention that determine which texts are deemed worthy of serious academic attention. This study empirically analysed the processes and criteria of canon formation in Comparative Literature and English department syllabi at eight Nigerian federal universities representing all six geopolitical zones. A syllabi analysis methodology was adopted, supplemented by structured interviews with 24 academic staff responsible for course design. Available syllabi from 96 literature courses were systematically coded for author nationality, gender, language of original composition, historical period, and structural position in the syllabus. Results showed that texts originally written in English account for 67.3 percent of all assigned texts across sampled syllabi. Male authors are assigned more than twice as frequently as female authors across all geopolitical zones. European authors dominate the non-Nigerian portion of comparative syllabi in all six zones. North West and North East Nigerian literature is the most systematically underrepresented regional literature in the national canon as reflected in syllabi. The interviews revealed that canon change is primarily driven by individual lecturer preference rather than structured curriculum review, and that senior colleagues' syllabi are routinely reproduced without critical reassessment. The study fills an empirical gap in Nigerian higher education humanities research and recommends that the National Universities Commission mandate periodic literature syllabus reviews with explicit diversity criteria applied to author gender, nationality, and language of original composition.

Keywords: literary canon, syllabus analysis, Nigerian universities, Comparative Literature, canon formation