2
What is the relationship between communal identity, economic deprivation, and political
behavior? When do ethnic inequalities lead to polarization and violence? How does political
democracy influence identity and political participation? These are prominent questions in the
field of comparative political analysis. Over the past decade, newly-democratizing states in
several regions have experienced instability arising from the revival or intensification of
communal identities. New social movements among indigenous minorities, especially in
resource-producing regions of such countries as Indonesia, Ecuador, and Nigeria, have
challenged prevailing definitions of sovereignty and distributive politics. These developments
have prompted a new generation of research on the nature of social identity and the varying
forms of communal politics.
In order to understand the complex interplay of identity, inequality, participation, and
political regimes, we need better knowledge of the subjective perspectives of minority
communities, the factors affecting their choice of political strategies, and the reasons for
particular types of collective action. Survey research is an important tool for studying these
questions, since it permits direct measurement of public attitudes and important dimensions of
political participation. This paper examines opinion and participation in the Niger Delta of
Nigeria, a major site of contentious ethnic mobilization and conflict.
Nigeria, the most populous country in Africa, is also the continent’s largest producer of
crude oil and a growing exporter of natural gas. The wellspring of Nigeria's oil industry is the
Niger Delta, an expansive coastal wetland that is home to more than a dozen ethnic minorities
and the source of roughly two million barrels of crude oil a day.
1
The Niger Delta is among the
1
Human Rights Watch, 1999:7.
Convention