new publication by Raffael Beier and Amandine Spire

Article

'Rester citadin malgré tout. Penser les citadinités à travers l’expérience des réinstallations urbaines, à partir de deux villes africaines'.

The article published in the journal Annales de géographie deals with the changing relationship between the city and the resettled citizens in Togo and Morocco in the context of resettlement.

Keywords

Resettlement projects following evictions and demolitions of mostly auto constructed settlements have long been an integral part of Africa’s urban development. Instead of engaging in singular analyses of resettlement outcomes based on a clear “before” and “after”, this article aims at conceptualising the shifting relationship between the city and resettled citizens. Thus, what we suggest to call “urban resettlements” highlights the destabilization of urban citizenships by a double dynamic of destruction and production of spaces and social ties, and of urban inclusion and exclusion. How do experiences of urban resettlement transform notions of urban citizenship? Although the objective of this article is mainly theoretical, we illustrate our argument by juxtaposing citizens’ long-term lived experiences of urban resettlement in Lomé (Togo) and Rabat-Salé (Morocco). Taking into account pre- and post-resettlement housing pathways, a potential horizon of inclusion materializes over time in highly unequal and selective ways, strongly linked to new and renewed forms of economic, social and political constraints.

Here you may find the full article in the journal Annales de géographie.