Addis Becoming 'Addis' : A Hegemonic Making?

• The paper deals with the notion of space and power in thesymbolic and physical making of places. It identifies three forms of power in such making: that which is inscribedin the architecture; that embedded in the social structures and norms; and that which individuals themselvesexert by their everyday uses of spaces and facilities. The paper discusses how dominant discourses resonatethrough architectural forms and influence spatial meaning and use and conversely how space mediates, framesand contests everyday power practices. It uses historical narrative and ethnographic methods to study how anaggressive large-scale condominium housing production in Addis Ababa serves a sociopolitical goal ofconstructing an image of a ‘modern’ city – ‘addis’ Addis. Theories are primarily drawn from works of Bourdiue,Lefebvre, and Dovey. The preliminary finding shows how desire for the ‘modern’ facilitates residents’cooperativeness to adapting to new ways of life inscribed in condominium architecture and their willingness toexercise ‘positive power’ as seen in their ‘constructive’ appropriation of spaces. ‘Modernity’, here, becomes asocial force that coordinates positive power relations. However, this was constantly resisted by power structuresembedded in established social norms and structures. Residents’ ways of negotiating between these contestingpowers through their everyday activities becomes vital in the ‘construction’ of new identity of their place. Theevidence challenges views that see space as fixed, empty, and enclosed container of social practices. Space isinstead shown to be a dynamic medium configured by power, and becomes a resource for power. The studyshows how understanding power struggles can help identify interests articulated by users; and that neglecting toconsider this process in the conception of housing projects could undermine possibilities for practicingconstructive social interactions or on the other hand may encourage power domination.

Subject headings

HUMANIORA  -- Konst -- Arkitektur (hsv//swe)

HUMANITIES  -- Arts -- Architecture (hsv//eng)

SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP  -- Annan samhällsvetenskap -- Tvärvetenskapliga studier inom samhällsvetenskap (hsv//swe)

SOCIAL SCIENCES  -- Other Social Sciences -- Social Sciences Interdisciplinary (hsv//eng)

Keyword

Space

Power

Place-making

Modernization

Modernity

Housing

Condominium

Addis Ababa

Publication and Content Type

vet (subject category)

kon (subject category)