Abner Cohen's *Customs and Conflicts in Urban Africa: A Study of Hausa Migrants in Yoruba Towns* is a landmark ethnographic work that examines the lives of Hausa migrants settled in Yoruba towns of southwestern Nigeria. The study represents an important contribution to comparative ethnography because it demonstrates how migrant communities preserve their cultural identity while simultaneously adapting to new social and economic environments. Through intensive fieldwork, Cohen explored the interaction between ethnicity, religion, economic organization, and political processes in an urban African setting. The fieldwork concerns of the study were centred on understanding the mechanisms through which Hausa migrants maintained their distinct identity in a culturally different Yoruba environment. Cohen conducted participant observation, informal interviews, genealogical methods, life histories, and detailed documentation of social interactions. Living among the migrants enabled him to observe their daily activities, occupational practices, religious ceremonies, conflict resolution mechanisms, and relations with the host Yoruba population. His fieldwork focused on the internal organization of the Hausa community, patterns of leadership, market activities, marriage alliances, and the role of Islamic institutions. The ethnographer paid close attention to the informal institutions that regulated social life, demonstrating that urban migrants did not become culturally assimilated simply because they lived