A Geography of Grievance: Spatial Variation, Perceptual Positionality, and the Political Ecology of Conflict in Nigeria’s Middle Belt

Abstract

Prevailing accounts of farmer-herder conflict in Nigeria's Middle Belt treat "ethno-religious violence," "resource conflict," and "pastoralist crisis" as interchangeable labels for a unified phenomenon. This article argues that such homogenization is empirically indefensible and politically counterproductive. Drawing on mixed-methods research across eight Local Government Areas in Plateau, Adamawa, Benue, and Taraba states (N = 800 surveys; 45 interviews), the study demonstrate that conflict perceptions vary systematically by spatial location and social positionality. Ethnic tensions are cited by 47% in Jos East versus 18% in Ganye (p < .001); Christians invoke religious causes more than Muslims (56.5% vs. 42.7%, p = .001); women foreground displacement and gender-based violence; youth prioritize unemployment and revenge. Yet a robust cross-positional consensus on forgiveness, love for neighbour, and peaceful coexistence persists across all groups (all p > .150). It advances a "geography of grievance" framework integrating spatial analysis, positionality theory, and political ecology, demonstrating that the Middle Belt comprises multiple distinct conflict ecologies requiring differentiated peacebuilding strategies.