Hometown Associations

There is a growing recognition of the role of indigenous knowledge systems and resources, as shown by the role of local organizations in the development process. These organizations have been responsible for significant local development achievements in a number of developing countries, and they play a central role in the process of building sustained and participatory development. This book focuses on one such type of organization: the Nigerian hometown association (HTA). HTAs are based on ties of kinship and ancestry, but are products of migrations and urbanization and are therefore of contemporary vintage. Associational life was, and remains, an important part of Nigerian social structure, and hometown associations have evolved into the most visible form of that associational life. Though they vary in many respects, HTAs have a few common properties, a crucial one being that they have significance both at home and abroad. At home, the focus is on improvement, though the specifics of what is to be improved and who decides is the subject of struggle. Abroad, the focus is dual - maintaining connections with home but also providing a supportive environment for people in a place where they are regarded as strangers. These studies illuminate the vitality of a fast-developing society. They include case studies of hometown associations operating across the country, as well as integrative studies comparing the HTAs across such important dimensions as gender relations, connections to formal government, and as agents of change. Published in the IT Studies in Indigenous Knowledge and Development series.