The African City

This module will consist four introductory lectures investigating the global architectural history of the city in sub-Saharan Africa from the twelfth century onward. The goal of the module will be to enable teachers of architecture and art history to present this material in a conceptually rich and globally situated manner. The course material would fit in a survey of architecture 1100 to the present day.

This module investigates global architectural history, postcolonial theory, and politics of knowledge, raising questions of social engagement and political economy in African architecture and urbanism. With a focus on knowledge transfer, cross-pollination, and negotiation among traditions the unit offers a critical exploration of themes that challenge national narratives and colonial stereotypes. The theoretical content of the module translates to the undergraduate architectural survey level through the analysis of several case studies focused on African architecture. Objects of inquiry include the pre-colonial architecture of Benin City, Great Zimbabwe, and M’banza Kongo (lecture 1); the Dogon ginna and the Mousgoum teleuk during and after the age of exploration (lecture 2); the mining compound, the camp houses in Moroka, the matchbox-houses in Sophiatown and Soweto, in Johannesburg (lecture 3). Other subjects include the contested infrastructures—highways, motor parks, and markets—of Lagos, in Nigeria (lecture 4). These topics are explored in a series of lectures where architectural history, design, art and anthropology are interwoven to provide the basis for further inquiries in the global architectural history of the African city.