Literature and National Development in Contemporary Nigeria

Abstract

This paper aims to, through the lenses of various prose fictions, highlight the role of Literature as cultural studies in the development of Nigeria as a multicultural nation. It looks at how literature can resolve the existing sociocultural differences and, through the use of common national values, inculcate local national fraternity that is necessary for sustainable national development. This paper deploys the New Historicist theory as its guiding principle and theoretical framework and, the qualitative text-based method as its tool of analysis. It is discovered that, literature as cultural studies, and, through its prose fiction genre, is capable of creating mass national awareness and unity through social mobilisation and sensitisation that impact on national development. The paper concludes that literature is necessary for proper philosophical rationalisation of important national values, transmission of these values and, should therefore, be given its due position in the curriculum, to enable it to adequately contribute to both national harmony, security and national development or regeneration via the promulgation of common national values for national development.