Suchergebnisse

How rumors reflect popular views of political power is illustrated via an examination of the Maitatsine movement, an Islamic-inspired urban social protest movement that engaged in violent confrontations with the army in northern Nigeria between 1980 & 1985. Based on oral information collected in Gongola State in 1985 (N not provided) & newspaper reports, the rumors that evolved about the movement are described. One linked the 1985 murder of a young girl in Yola in Gongola State to the movement; others linked the political power of the Nigerian political elite & the religious power of the Maitatsine movement, which was believed to control the political elite. The common citizens were seen as the victims of this impenetrable network of power. It is concluded that rumors are important sources for the study of popular political culture. Modified AA