Decolonization and Functionality of Knowledge in the Journal of the Historical Society of Nigeria (JHSN), 1956-1980

Abstract

This study examines transformations in the decolonization and functionality of knowledge in the Journal of the Historical Society of Nigeria (JHSN) from 1956 to 1980. In its early years, the Journal sought to recover Africa’s rich past while developing research methodologies that advanced decolonization and addressed the needs of a society negotiating national identity. By the 1970s, however, its articles reflected an expanded decolonization discourse but showed limited engagement with Africa’s pressing economic challenges. This raises a critical question: why did epistemic decolonization advance without parallel concern for knowledge functionality? Situating this problem in the pre-digital context of African historiography, the article interrogates how one of Africa’s earliest historical journals functioned both as a site of intellectual decolonization and as a medium for shaping emancipatory knowledge before the digital revolution, thereby contributing to broader debates in this special issue.