Identity, Recognition, and the Governance of Pluralism: Religious Visibility and Hijab Politics in Nigeria - Alao, Abel Adeola

This study examines the politics of religious visibility and the governance of pluralism in Nigeria, with particular attention to the role of the hijab as a contested symbol within public educational institutions. It argues that disputes surrounding religious dress are better understood not as isolated religious conflicts, but as expressions of deeper tensions in identity recognition, institutional legitimacy, and the management of diversity in postcolonial public space. Drawing on an integrated theoretical framework combining Social Identity Theory, recognition theory, public sphere scholarship, and peacebuilding perspectives, the study conceptualises religious visibility as a key site through which inclusion, belonging, and authority are negotiated in plural societies. The analysis situates the hijab within broader debates on identity formation, institutional neutrality, and social cohesion. Empirically, the study engages selective cases from Osun, Lagos, Kwara, and Oyo States to demonstrate how judicial interpretation, administrative inconsistency, media framing, and collective mobilisation interact in shaping patterns of escalation and coexistence. The findings highlight structural tensions between constitutional guarantees and institutional implementation, as well as the tendency for localised disputes to evolve into broader identity-based public controversies. The study further contributes to scholarship on religion and public space by situating Nigerian experiences within a Global South governance framework, challenging Eurocentric assumptions of secular neutrality, and emphasising the embeddedness of religion in public life. It concludes that sustainable social cohesion in plural societies depends on consistent, inclusive, and dialogically grounded governance mechanisms capable of managing identity diversity in shared civic institutions. This work is presented as a scholarly contribution to ongoing debates in political sociology, religious studies, governance, and peace and conflict studies.