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2 - For King and Country

Colonial Subjects and Wartime Intellectualism

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 March 2020

Chima J. Korieh
Affiliation:
Marquette University, Wisconsin
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Summary

The main focus of this chapter is the role of propaganda in influencing participation and opinions during the war. It analyzes how the British extensively used wartime propaganda to draw the support of the Nigerian people and explores the critical role propaganda played in Nigeria’s appropriation of the war and the enthusiastic support different sections of the population provided Britain during its hour of greatest need. It illustrates that the propaganda intended for African audiences reiterated the idea of the “interdependency” of the empire by stressing the unity of the British Commonwealth of Nations. The call on Africans to produce goods and conserve resources during the war was seen by the colonial government as an extension of its patriotism toward the empire. By creating space for the participation of the local population to consume a particular form of propaganda, the empire made Nigerians active participants in the creation of propaganda. Their intellectual contribution to this mission was largely based upon their appropriation of a new status and identity as “citizens of the empire.” Propaganda provided an effective avenue for expressions of imperial unity and acceptance of Britain’s self-image as a “virtuous imperial power,” in the words of Sonya Rose.

Type
Chapter
Information
Nigeria and World War II
Colonialism, Empire, and Global Conflict
, pp. 72 - 110
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2020

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  • For King and Country
  • Chima J. Korieh, Marquette University, Wisconsin
  • Book: Nigeria and World War II
  • Online publication: 05 March 2020
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108579650.003
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  • For King and Country
  • Chima J. Korieh, Marquette University, Wisconsin
  • Book: Nigeria and World War II
  • Online publication: 05 March 2020
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108579650.003
Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • For King and Country
  • Chima J. Korieh, Marquette University, Wisconsin
  • Book: Nigeria and World War II
  • Online publication: 05 March 2020
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108579650.003
Available formats
×