Commissioned by the Zuru Emirate Development Society, this seven-year study is devoted to the Zuru people of Sokoto State in Nigeria. It starts from the premise that the Zuru people have been historically marginalised by the forces of colonialism, dominant majority society and ethnocentrism; and is aimed as raising their awareness and understanding. Eight contributors cover the underdevelopment of Zuru history; a survey in the region; a glottochronology of four Benue- Congo languages in Zuru; the pre-1900 economy; a survey of social and political history pre-1990; transition and changes in religions; traditional marriage systems; and socio-economic transformation in the colonial period of 1901-1950.