Ideology and identity construction in Ibibio personal names

Abstract

Existing studies on African anthroponyms have examined the implications of culture, history and language on individual identity constructions in personal names. However, few studies have explored the ideological processes involved in these identity constructions. To fill this gap, this study examines the concepts of ideology and identities in Ibibio personal names from ethnographic and ethnopragmatic perspectives. The data consists of eighty-five Ibibio personal names which were derived from oral interviews with Ibibio name-bearers and givers from Akwa Ibom State, South-eastern Nigeria. The names were categorized into four types: Christian religion, order of birth, endearment and character attribute, depicting the characteristics, cultural norms and religious beliefs of name-bearers. Family relationships, beliefs and knowledge of the culture are, therefore, important ideological indicators for constructing identities through naming. Thus, the names may either portray the bearer’s self-definition and identification or convey social biases. This article argues that identities constructed in Ibibio personal names are intrinsically localized within the name-bearers’ transfer of their cultural conceptualization of their personal names to their lived experiences. The study examines how these innate connections mirror the beliefs or ideologies of name-bearers.

The Representation of People in the Ibibio Anthroponymic System: A Socio-Onomastic Investigation

“…Names also influence thinking and people's perception of the world. A similar study by Boluwaduro (2019) reveals how the Ibibio people in Nigeria index ideologies and various shades of identity in their personal names, which are intrinsically localised given the juxtaposition of name meaning and the name bearer's lived experiences. Mensah (2020) also highlights how identity and ideology are enacted in religious naming practices among the Tiv people in north-central Nigeria.…”

Anthropological Linguistics

“…In Kenya, among the people of Mbere (speaking Kīmbeere, a north-eastern Bantu language) and among the Akan-speaking people of Southern Ghana (Bono Twi language), a child's name is constructed to reflect his/her gender and order of birth (Mensah et al, 2019, p. 212). The Ibibio, people who speak a Benue-Congo language of Coastal south-eastern Nigeria (Efik-Ibibio language), have the parallel practice of giving personal names by gender and order of birth (Boluwaduro, 2019). Similarly, among the Mbube, a Benue-Congo-speaking people of south-eastern Nigeria (Mbe language), names contain descriptive information about gender and order of birth (Akung & Abang 2019, p. 296).…”

The Englishisation of personal names in Nigeria

“…Among the Ibibio people of Nigeria, personal names provides a window into their cosmology, social histories and worldviews. Identity construction among the Ibibio, therefore, implicates their culture, history and language (Boluwaduro, 2019). Naming is an important tool for the transmission of cultural heritage.…”