The curse of a size: socio-cultural conception of dwarfism and effects on political participation in south-western Nigeria
The notion of dwarfs as inferior members of the society is a long-held belief amongst the Yoruba ethnic group of south-western Nigeria. By virtue of their size, dwarfs are objects of amusements and ridicule and denied political and leadership opportunities. They cannot become kings, hold chieftainc...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Brawijaya University
2019-11-01
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| Series: | Indonesian Journal of Disability Studies |
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| Online Access: | https://ijds.ub.ac.id/index.php/ijds/article/view/179 |
| Summary: | The notion of dwarfs as inferior members of the society is a long-held belief amongst the Yoruba ethnic group of south-western Nigeria. By virtue of their size, dwarfs are objects of amusements and ridicule and denied political and leadership opportunities. They cannot become kings, hold chieftaincy titles; serve as heads of family, village heads or occupy leadership positions. In spite of persistence of this discrimination, there is a dearth of research on dwarfs' socio-political life. And this raises some pertinent questions: what is the socio-historical conception of dwarfism among the Yoruba people? What are the socio-cultural barriers placed on the dwarfs? What are the effects of these on dwarfs' psycho-political participation as members of the society? And, how do they express their socio-psychological and political affinities, affiliations, preferences, and feelings? Using participant observation, in depth interviews with key informants and archival search, this study seeks to interrogate these problematic.
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| ISSN: | 2355-2158 2654-4148 |