Over the last five decades, Nigeria has moved from being a nation enjoying its new post-colonial independence to a nation self-consciously placed within the international political economy. In this dissertation, I show how the complexity and tensions of this shift have helped shape, and are reflected in the Nigerian beauty pageant industry. Drawing on a case study of three beauty pageants, two national and one international, I compare the production, symbolism, and political controversies surrounding each pageant and the way it represents the Nigerian nation. I use these cases to argue that national identity exists at multiple levels and is constructed through and towards both national and international audiences. Organizers, contestants, corporate sponsors, fans and opposition groups manage and present the nation through pageants. They negotiate between highlighting cultural diversity within the country and displaying a shared national culture in a global world. The Nigerian beauty pageant industry has been influenced by social divisions within Nigeria and by its place within the international political economy; it is caught up in the dual process of navigating national unity and asserting global dominance.

I focus on how Nigerian beauty pageants: (1) project a cohesive national identity in a multiethnic and multi-religious society; (2) craft a narrative of unique nationhood while being part of the global arena; and (3) manage local adaptation and resistance to globalization. By comparing these contests--their content, structure, and associated discourses--I theorize nationalism as a multilayered process informed by local and global processes. I posit that the first contest, "Queen Nigeria," represents cultural-nationalism through its emphasis on the unity of the nation and retaining Nigeria's unique cultural heritage in the face of rapid globalization. The second pageant, "The Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria," embodies cosmopolitan-nationalism, stressing Nigeria's compatibility with an international community. The third case, "Miss World 2002," highlights global-nationalism through the intersection of Nigeria's local political situation and responses from the international community. I account for how local and international agendas play out through the trajectory of a nation.