'Discussions of secularism often descend into arguments 'for' or 'against' secularism. Not so for Rabiat Akande's study of the entanglements of law, religion, and empire in colonial Northern Nigeria and its postcolonial epilogue. Emphasizing the ambivalences of secular governance, Akande explores the unexpected expressions of the state's colonial and postcolonial claims to secularity. An important contribution to the globalization of critical secularism studies.' Elizabeth Shakman Hurd, Northwestern University
Introduction; Part I. Governing Faith: 1. Jousting for souls: indirect rule, Christian missions and the governance of religious difference; 2. Governing Shari'a; Part II. Constituting Difference: 3. The construction of minorities: late imperial secularity and the constitutional politics of decolonization; 4. The making of the 1958 Penal Code; 5. Constituting rights: Christian religious liberty in the late colonial state; Part III. Imagining the Past: 6. The 1977 Constitutional Conference and beyond; Conclusion.