The Challenges of Individualism and Nation-Building in Nigeria - An Analysis from Social History

Abstract

The question of which comes first - the society or the individual has been quixotic to scholars Whether we view it from historical perspective or from the perspective of studies in logic or even in governance it has always been argumentative We may liken the argument to the question of which comes first the hen or the egg As soon as we come into the world our society gets to work to mould and socialize us from a mere biological being into the culture of our society thereby we become social beings Anthropologists commonly believe that primitive man is more completely moulded by his society than the civilized man He is thus less individualistic than the civilized man There is an element of truth in this assertion This is because nonsophisticated traditional communities are more homogenous and they provide for more opportunities for a far smaller diversity of individual occupations and skills than the advanced modern societies Carr E A 1985 33