A Comparative Analysis of Fulfulde and Kanuri Sociopolitical and Symbolic Order in Northern Nigeria: A Cultural Semiotics Perspective
Abstract
This study explores the symbolic sociopolitical structures of the Kanuri and Fulani peoples of Northern Nigeria. The study employs multiple qualitative data collection methods: Ethnographic fieldwork and Semi-structured interviews. Using a semiotic-structural approach, the study reveals that Kanuri authority is spatially ritualized and dynastically centralized, whereas Fulani symbolic order is dualistic combining emirate ceremonialism with the moral code of Pulaaku. The findings further, demonstrate how symbols like turbans, palaces, titles, and pastoral rituals serve not only as visual texts but as instruments of sociopolitical cohesion and historical continuity. legitimacy, and identity are constructed through ritual, architecture, regalia, and moral codes. The Shehu of Borno represents a dynastic embodiment of political-spiritual authority, while Fulani leadership particularly in the Adamawa and Gombe emirates emerges from the historical jihadist legacy of the Sokoto Caliphate, blending religious scholarship with governance.
Keywords
Symbolic, Socio-political, Culture and Identity
Citations
IRE Journals:
Mahir Harun Mahir, Abubakar Alhaji Shuwa, Adamu Usman, Yusuf Zakariya Abdullahi; Yusuf Mohammed, Janet John; Muhammad Bashir Yusuf "A Comparative Analysis of Fulfulde and Kanuri Sociopolitical and Symbolic Order in Northern Nigeria: A Cultural Semiotics Perspective" Iconic Research And Engineering Journals Volume 9 Issue 5 2025 Page 652-658
IEEE:
Mahir Harun Mahir, Abubakar Alhaji Shuwa, Adamu Usman, Yusuf Zakariya Abdullahi; Yusuf Mohammed, Janet John; Muhammad Bashir Yusuf
"A Comparative Analysis of Fulfulde and Kanuri Sociopolitical and Symbolic Order in Northern Nigeria: A Cultural Semiotics Perspective" Iconic Research And Engineering Journals, 9(5)
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