| This dissertation addresses the role of law as an instrument of social ordering. Informed by an understanding that abstract formal rights are not a panacea, it addresses the conditions for the effectiveness of law reform initiatives. With particular attention to specific dynamics and consequences of gender in matrimonial politics in a Nigerian community, the study analyzes the attempt of the government to eradicate gender-based discrimination. Since this anti-discrimination imperative derives from an international agenda for gender equity, the study examines the implications of the current trend of deploying the norms and ideals of the human rights regime to divergent localities. |
