Abstract

This paper is a critical examination of Hegel‘s analysis of global historical movement and its point of resonance with Urhobo migration experience. George Hegel (1770- 1831) was the foremost German philosopher of the 19th century. He was the most influential of the German idealists of the period - a list which comprise Fichte, Schelling, and Schopenhauer. Hegel‘s thoughts inspired such ideological movements as Marxism, existentialism, phenomenology and hermeneutics. At the heart of the Hegelian philosophical system is his theory of dialectics. The theory revolves around three basic assumptions: first, is that motion rather than stasis is the default state of all beings; second, that contradiction resulting in the clash of opposites is the basis of all advancement; and third is that states are the ideal context for the attainment and maximization of human freedom, which is the ultimate goal of the Absolute Spirit in universal history. Hegel applied this theory of dialectics to provide an interpretation of history. In this paper, I argue that the Hegelian dialectical theory of history adequately explains the Urhobo migration experience that occurred in the past two thousand years. During the period, the Urhobo have evolved into an organised and formidable nation with a highly developed social and political consciousness of being one people, and an ever-growing aspiration for collective advancement and the preservation of their shared cultural and scientific heritages. The Urhobo experience also exemplifies Arnold Toynbee‘s theory of historical movement in society which this study explores. I adopt the methodology of critical text analysis for my argument, which has the following effects as its aim: to debunk Hegel‘s own thesis that Africa is a historical tabula rasa which does not fit into his rendition of world historical events and processes; to establish the significance of the Urhobo people as a formidable nation group, and to provide a basis for Urhobo further nationalist aspirations in tandem with Hegel‘s projections in his idealist theory of history.

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