The nation as grand narrative: the Nigerian press and the politics of meaning

One of the central problems facing many post-colonial states is defining the
terms on which the various ethnie nationalities within the polities will co-exist. The
mass media are pivotai to contestations over defining these political identities and
constructing the narratives of the nations in these post-colonial states, as well as the
grand narrative of the emerging nation-state itself. This role of the media has not
received sustained--academic attention.
This research examines the contending narratives on the Nigerian 'nation' as
reflected in the Nigerian press within the context of other narratives in the polity. lt
studies how meaning is deployed or mobilized in the press either to establish,
nourish and sustain relations of domination/power or to counteract, subvert and
deflect power within and among ethnie nationalities in the context of the evolving
idea of the Nigerian nation.
The study uses the depth-hermeneutical framework to investigate how the
interpretation of ideo\ogy - recast as meaning in the service of power - in the press
serves to stimulate critical reflections on the relations of power and domination in the
grand narrative. The nexus of nation, narratives, myth, discourse, power and