The book focuses on contemporary African cities, caught in the contradiction of an imperial past and postcolonial present. The essays explore the cultural role of colonial architecture and urbanism in the production of meanings: in the inscription of power and discipline, as well as in the dynamic construction of identities. It is in these new dense urban spaces, with all their contradictions, that urban Africans are reworking their local identities, building families, and creating autonomous communities - made fragile by neo-liberal states in a globalizing world.

The book offers a range of scholarly interpretations of the new forms of urbanity. It engages with issues, themes and topics including colonial legacies, postcolonial intersections, cosmopolitan spaces, urban reconfigurations, and migration which are at the heart of the continuing debate about the trajectory of contemporary African cities. The collection discusses contemporary African cities as diverse as Dar Es Salaam, Dakar, Johannesburg, Lagos and Kinshasa - offering new insights into the current state of postcolonial African cities.

This was previously published as a special issue of African Identities.

About the Author
Fassil Demissie is Associate Professor, DePaul University, USA. He is the editor of African and Black Diaspora: An International Journal, and on the editorial board of African Identities: A Journal of Economics, Culture and Society (both published by Routledge). He recently edited Postcolonial African Cities.


Book Information
ISBN 9780415495653
Author Fassil Demissie
Format Paperback
Page Count 156
Imprint Routledge
Publisher Taylor & Francis Ltd
Weight(grams) 580g