Development in Post-Colonial West Africa: Building the Nation

后殖民西非的发展：建设国家

• 批准号: 2659185
• 金额: --
• 依托单位: University of Liverpool
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Studentship
• 财政年份: 2022
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2022 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=studentship-2659185
• 关键词: Development; Post; Colonial; West; Africa

State led development projects were characteristic of the end of colonial rule in 'British West Africa' and the transition to new independent governments. Infrastructure, prestige projects, and grand architectural schemes are often used to infer power, or suggest modernity, development, and progress. More (seemingly) mundane developments, such as housing, can be as revealing in terms of power structures and wider ambitions. In a problematic and contested political situation, these types of projects become highly charged and significant expressions of a nation's collective (often contested) identity. This is even more meaningful in a colonial context, where architecture, town planning and infrastructure become symbolic expressions of the colonial power.Using The National Archive's extensive collections, the project will explore how the West African 'built environment' was shaped to respond to various political, economic, and welfare ambitions. The timeframe will cover the transition from colonial rule into independence period. Initially scoping all 'British West Africa', the project will focus on one of the former British colonies and consider:1. how notions of 'self', identity, and freedom were expressed through new construction and town planning;2. how former colonisers and other foreign groups attempted to shape and influence these developments in the 'post-colonial' period;3. expressions of identity, nation, 'new beginnings' by the postcolonial nations.The objective of this project is to examine these notions within the West African context over the late colonial and early post-colonial periods. Whilst volatile, this moment, was charged with excitement and optimism, and a desire to 'start again' and rebuild the nation with a new vision. Architecture and planning would shift from being expressions of colonial dominance and subjugation to being expressions of nationalism, hope, and modernisation. It is sometimes tempting to see the event of Independence as an abrupt and sudden moment. The clock strikes twelve and everything suddenly changes - and whilst this is true, it is also oversimplifying a complex event that is, to some degree, still being played-out today. There is also a sense of inertia in the built environment and existing city plans, methods of development, and networks of expertise stubbornly persist and outlast political dynasties.The desire for the newly independent nations to express their hard-fought freedom through physical, often large-scale triumphant (sometimes infrastructure) projects was met with the former colonial power's aspiration to continue offering technical assistance, expertise, and trade. It resulted in a complex blend of nationalism, reimagining/reinventing identity and Pan-African ambition, further mixed with the additional influences of 'non-aligned' socialist assistance and US, World Bank, and UN concerns. Independence was therefore not an abrupt severance from the former colonial power, but a feathered, gradual transition coupled with intense global interest eager to retain or cultivate influence and trade advantage. The project will therefore question how political ideas, and notions surrounding identity, nationhood, and statecraft are expressed or manifest through the built environment. Alongside the National Archives collection, the research would incorporate archival sources from the UK and Nigeria. Also interviews with architects and building users, as well as fieldwork observations will be conducted.There is growing interest in the architecture of the Global South and increasing professional requirements for this material to be taught in architecture schools. There has been some excellent research on the 'colonial city' and increasing focus on African cities, but the lack of scholarship and analysis remains shocking and forms a major gap in our understanding. This project will investigate the extended threshold from colony to independent nation, and there is cert

国家领导的发展项目是“英属西非”殖民统治结束的特征，也是向新独立政府的过渡。基础设施，声望项目和宏伟的建筑计划通常用于推断权力，或暗示现代性，发展和进步。在权力结构和更广泛的野心方面，更多（看似）平凡的发展（例如住房）可以揭示。在有问题且有争议的政治局势中，这些类型的项目成为一个国家集体（经常有争议的）身份的高度充电和重大表达。这在殖民地环境中更有意义，在殖民地环境中，建筑，城镇规划和基础设施成为殖民权力的象征性表达。使用国家档案馆的广泛收藏，该项目将探讨西非的“建筑环境”如何塑造以应对各种政治，经济和福利雄心。时间范围将涵盖从殖民规则到独立时期的过渡。该项目最初是在所有“英属西非”的范围内，将重点放在前英国殖民地之一上，并考虑：1。如何通过新的建筑和城镇规划来表达“自我”，身份和自由的概念； 2。前殖民者和其他外国群体如何在“后殖民”时期塑造和影响这些发展； 3。后殖民国家对身份，民族，“新起点”的表达。该项目的目的是在殖民时期和殖民时期晚期的西非环境中检查这些观念。尽管这一刻，但动荡不安，被指控兴奋和乐观，并渴望“重新开始”并以新的愿景重建国家。建筑和规划将从殖民统治和征服的表达转变为民族主义，希望和现代化的表达。有时将独立事件视为突然和突然的时刻，这很诱人。时钟击中了十二次，一切都突然变化了 - 虽然这是真的，但它也过分简化了一个复杂的事件，在某种程度上，今天仍在播放。在建筑环境和现有的城市计划，发展方法以及专业知识网络中也有一种惯性感。顽固地和远离政治王朝。新独立国家通过身体上的胜利（有时是基础设施）项目与以前的Colonial Poweration的吸引力进行了努力，以继续进行专业的技能，并与以前的Colonial Powerisation进行了培养，并与以前的Colonial Powerisation进行了培养，并愿意通过实​​质性的胜利（有时是基础设施）项目来表达自己的艰苦自由。这导致了民族主义的复杂融合，重新构想/重塑身份和泛非野心，进一步与“不结盟”社会主义援助以及美国，世界银行以及联合国关注的其他影响进一步混合在一起。因此，独立并不是前殖民权力的突然遣散，而是羽毛逐渐的过渡，再加上渴望保持或培养影响力和贸易优势的强烈的全球兴趣。因此，该项目将质疑如何通过建筑环境表达或表现出围绕身份，民族和史克拉夫的政治思想以及围绕身份，国家的概念。除了国家档案收藏外，该研究还将纳入英国和尼日利亚的档案资源。还将对建筑师和建筑物用户进行访谈，以及将进行现场工作观察。对全球南方建筑的兴趣日益浓厚，并且不断提高了在建筑学校中教授该材料的专业要求。关于“殖民地城市”的精彩研究以及对非洲城市的越来越重视，但缺乏学术和分析仍然令人震惊，并在我们的理解中构成了一个主要差距。该项目将调查从殖民地到独立国家的延长阈值，并且有证书