Precarious Urbanism
Displacement, Belonging and the Reconstruction of Somali Cities
Jutta Bakonyi author Peter Chonka author
Format:Hardback
Publisher:Bristol University Press
Published:10th Jan '23
Should be back in stock very soon
This hardback is available in another edition too:
- Paperback£26.99(9781529215236)
This book explores relationships between war, displacement and city-making. Focusing on people seeking refuge in Somali cities after being forced to migrate by violence, environmental shocks or economic pressures, it highlights how these populations are actively transforming urban space.
Using first-hand testimonies and participatory photography by urban in-migrants, the book documents and analyses the micropolitics of urban camp management, evictions and gentrification, and the networked labour of displaced populations that underpins growing urban economies. Central throughout is a critical analysis of how the discursive figure of the ‘internally displaced person’ is co-produced by various actors. The book argues that this label exerts significant power in structuring socio-economic inequalities and the politics of group belonging within different Somali cities connected through protracted histories of conflict-related migration.
"This book is for everyone working on urban change and urbanization. I have followed the challenging research on which this book is based with great interest from early on and am very happy to see its significant findings published.“ Tabea Scharrer, Leipzig University
"The Horn of Africa region has experienced large population displacement and mobility (forced and voluntary); based on extensive fieldwork, this is a valuable book that contributes to understanding the intersection between displacement, migration, urbanization, politics and development". Ahmed M. Musa, Senior Researcher, PRIO
“There is growing recognition that internally displaced people are among the most misunderstood and under-researched populations globally. This important book plays an essential role in filling this gap, skilfully exposing the ways in which IDPs in urban Somalia are both marginalised and hyper-connected. Drawing across a range of rich qualitative methods in four Somali cities, the authors examine the ways in which (often repeated) displacement is integral to the very process of city-making, with relevance far beyond the Horn of Africa.” Tom Goodfellow, University of Sheffield
ISBN: 9781529215229
Dimensions: unknown
Weight: unknown
234 pages