Theorising the Intersections of Colonialism, Capitalism, and Patriarchy in Nigerian Gender Formations

Nigerian gender formations were profoundly shaped by the intersecting forces of British colonialism, capitalism, and indigenous patriarchal structures in ways that continue to determine the character of contemporary gender inequality. This study theorises the historical and contemporary intersections of colonialism, capitalism, and patriarchy in Nigerian gender formations, drawing on archival history, contemporary fieldwork, and African feminist theory. A historical materialist feminist paradigm underpins a multi-method design employing archival research (Lagos, Ibadan, and Enugu archives), 55 in-depth interviews with historians, gender scholars, and community elders across five zones, and analysis of colonial and post-colonial economic and legal documents. African feminist theory, postcolonial studies, and Marxist feminist analysis guided the analytical framework. Findings reveal that colonial land law, labour policy, and education structures worked in combination with selected indigenous patriarchal norms to produce a specific form of Nigerian patriarchal capitalism that differs significantly from both pre-colonial gender formations and Western capitalist gender orders. Post-colonial development policies have largely reproduced rather than dismantled this formation. The study develops an original Triangulated Patriarchal Formation Theory (TPFT) for Nigeria, specifying the mechanisms by which colonialism, capitalism, and patriarchy mutually reinforce gender inequality in the contemporary period. Keywords: colonialism, capitalism, patriarchy, Nigerian gender, feminist theory