3 - Oracles, Secrets Societies & Hometown Identities

Summary

Introduction

Historical explanations of Igbo economic dynamism are a source of controversy. On the one hand, some have argued that the embedded cultural institutions of a stateless society provide a blueprint for economic growth and democratization in the era of state withdrawal. Peter Little (2003) attributes the resilience of the Somali economy to the ability of indigenous institutions to create ‘stateless order’. Similarly, Deborah Brautigam's (1997:1065) account of emerging Igbo entrepreneurs in the town of Nnewi traces their success in ‘substituting for the state’ to a range of cultural and historical features, including stateless organization, a strong achievement orientation, and community-based networks of apprenticeship, credit and business information. A contrasting view of the developmental implications of Igbo cultural traits highlights an institutional history of political fragmentation, secret societies and brutal oracular religions to identify the Igbo with a propensity to criminality and economic ungovernance (Harnischfeger 2003; Smith 2004; Bayart et al., 1999; Reno 2004). Reno (2004:610) suggests that the ‘bond of clan lineage’ has helped the Igbo ‘to a commanding position in the world heroine traffic… It is this capacity of stateless societies to integrate into global commercial networks that make them so immune to methods of control the officials in strong states prefer.’