Historical transformations of sacred land and urbanization politics in Nigeria

Abstract

Sacred land has long been a site of political power, spiritual significance, and contested urban transformation. Despite the enduring role of sacred places in shaping urban space, scholarly and policy attention has rarely examined the structural conditions through which sacred land governance has evolved from pre-colonial traditions to contemporary urbanization. This study foregrounds critical perspectives on the politics of the sacred to advance a framework for understanding how historical legacies, ritual authority, and shifting land governance practices intersect with urban development pressures. I trace the continuities and ruptures in sacred land governance across colonial and post-colonial periods, examining how chiefs, community members, and sacred custodians negotiate power, belonging, and access to land. I argue that the governance of sacred land constitutes both a terrain of exclusion and a potential arena for more inclusive urban futures, and that situating sacred land within broader urban and political-economic dynamics reveals its centrality to struggles over space, memory, and transformation.