But in advanced political science—particularly within African political scholarship—there is a much sharper, more revealing definition. You may have heard it referred to as the .
If you have ever taken a political science course at a university in Africa, you have likely encountered this quote attributed to , a renowned Nigerian political scientist. He famously argued that politics is about: “The struggle for the authoritative allocation of values in a society.” At first glance, this sounds like academic jargon. But once you break it down, it changes how you see everything—from family arguments to national resource distribution. nnoli definition of politics
Let’s unpack the three key pillars of this definition. The first key word is struggle . Nnoli does not say "cooperation" or "discussion." He says struggle . He famously argued that politics is about: “The
Because
Nnoli’s definition forces us to ask the hard questions: Who is getting what? Why? And who is being left out? The next time someone tells you they "hate politics," remind them of Nnoli’s definition. They might think they hate corruption or lies, but they cannot hate politics. As long as we live together in a society with limited resources, we will struggle over how to share our values. The first key word is struggle