The Impact of Religion, Personality, Values and Worldviews on Attitudes Towards Human Rights: An Empirical-Theological Study Among Nigerian Youth

This book provides a rigorous investigation into the adoption and culture of human rights in Nigeria, with a focus on the human rights attitudes of Nigerian students. Exploring the perceived paradox of enthusiastic endorsement of human rights instruments and their poor application in Nigeria, the author uses an empirical-theological research design to understand how young people in Nigeria evaluate human rights and which factors trigger their evaluation. In doing so, this book is the first to empirically examine the predictors of human rights attitudes among Nigerians and provides new insights into the degree of social significance of the religiosity of adolescents in the country. It also offers a compelling quantitative analysis differences in human rights attitudes among Nigerian youth along religious lines.

Given the importance of a culture of human rights in our increasingly diverse societies and the salience of religion on this matter in Nigeria, and across the Africancontinent, this book provides a valuable perspective on the interrelationships between religion, value orientations, personality traits, socio-political context, and human rights. Being concerned with the future of human rights in Nigeria, the author argues that it is crucial to understand ’the religious factor’ among Nigerian students today. This book is therefore recommended to educators, especially teachers of Religion Education, and scholars working in educational settings, but will also be of interest to researchers in social sciences, public administrators, and policymakers.

Modestus Chiedozie Adimekwe, a Catholic priest, educationist, and researcher, studied philosophy and theology at St. Joseph Major Seminary, Ikot Ekpene, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. He also holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Education (PGDE) from Abia State University, Uturu, Abia State, Nigeria, a Master’s degree in Sociology from the Otto-Friedrich University, Bamberg, and a Ph.D. in Practical Theology from the Julius-Maximilian’s University, Wuerzburg - both in Bavaria, Germany. He specialised in Religious Education, and migration and integration issues. As a member of the International Project Religion and Human Rights, he has severally been involved in preparing the association’s annual international conferences through data collection and analyses. This book is basically the result of his scholarly exchanges during those outings and also of his vast experience from previous places of apostolate, including the educational institutions in which he served both in Nigeria and abroad. Modestus has published other scholarly articles in some renowned journals. These include: ＂Predictors of Judicial Human Rights’ Attitudes of Adolescents in Nigeria＂, and ＂Exploring Attitudes Towards Human Rights and the Religiosity of Adolescents in Nigeria＂ - both together with Prof. Dr. Dr. H.-G. Ziebertz.