Kenneth Omeje's "Borrowing from the Gods"
Title of Project: "Borrowing from the Gods: Oracular Deities as Traditional Sources of Credit among the Igbo of Nigeria"
Region of Research: Southeastern Nigeria
Project Summary: This study derives from a concern with traditional credit institutions in Africa, an area of research that has come under increasing focus in the study of local economies in transitional societies. The study focuses on the role of oracular deities as traditional sources of credit among the Igbo of Southeastern Nigeria. Borrowing from the gods, as the study conceptualizes the phenomenon, is a seemingly dynamic autochthonous tradition among a limited number of local communities of the ethnic Igbo noted for their powerful ancestral deities. The central objective of the study is to use the experiences of three ethnic Igbo local communities to enhance the understanding of the history, operation, opportunities and externalities of the relatively unknown fetish divinity credit institution.
Researcher: Kenneth Omeje is a Professor of International Relations at the United States International University (USIU) in Nairobi, Kenya and has 20 years of professional academic experience. His educational qualifications include: PhD in Peace Studies from the University of Bradford, MA degree in Peace & Conflict Studies from the European Peace University in Burg/Schlaining, Austria; as well as M.Sc. degree in International Relations and B. Sc. (Second Class Upper Division) in Political Science & Sociology – both from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka.
