Innovative study of state politics, identity and buildings that sheds
new light on the links between the material and the ideational realms of
contemporary life in Africa.
Buildings shape politics in the ways they define communities, enable
economic activity, reflect political ideas, and impact state-society
relations. They are materially and symbolically interwoven with the
everyday lives of elites and citizens, as well global flows of money,
goods, and contracts. Yet, to date, there has been no research that
explicitly connects debates about Africa's domestic and international
politics with the study of architecture. This innovative book fills this
gap, providing a new and compelling reading of the politics of identity
in sub-Saharan Africa through an examination of some of its most
significant buildings. Using case studies from nine countries across
sub-Saharan Africa, this volume reveals how they are commissioned and
built, how they enable elites to project power, and how they form a
basis for popular conceptions of the state. Exploring a diverse range of
buildings including parliaments, airports, prisons, ministries, regional
institutions, libraries, universities, shopping malls, public housing,
cathedrals and palaces, the contributors suggest a innovative
perspective on African politics, identity and urban development. This
book will be a compelling reference for scholars and students of African
politics, development studies and city life in its elaboration of and
challenges to established concepts and arguments about the relationship
between material objects and political ideas.
This book is available as Open Access under the Creative Commons license
CC-BY-NC-ND.
