TY - JOUR
T1 - The Toponymic Inscription Problematic in Urban Sub-Saharan Africa
T2 - From Colonial to Postcolonial Times
AU - Bigon, Liora
AU - Njoh, Ambe J.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2013.
PY - 2015/2/6
Y1 - 2015/2/6
N2 - We examine a variety of problems relating to toponymic inscription processes in urban sub-Saharan Africa. The objective is to promote understanding of: the origins, evolution, nature, extent and social implications of these problems in an era of globalization; the vocabularies of built space; and the navigation techniques of inhabitants of supposedly nondescript built space in this region. We employed primary data based on in situ experiences and secondary data from published and unpublished documents. We found that the region’s toponymic inscription problem, its built space, and urban vocabularies are deeply embedded in its European colonial legacy. Furthermore, we found that urban residents in this region have devised functional means to navigate their seemingly nondescript space. These revelations promise to fill some historiographic gaps in the literature on toponymic inscription in Africa in particular and urban history and planning in general.
AB - We examine a variety of problems relating to toponymic inscription processes in urban sub-Saharan Africa. The objective is to promote understanding of: the origins, evolution, nature, extent and social implications of these problems in an era of globalization; the vocabularies of built space; and the navigation techniques of inhabitants of supposedly nondescript built space in this region. We employed primary data based on in situ experiences and secondary data from published and unpublished documents. We found that the region’s toponymic inscription problem, its built space, and urban vocabularies are deeply embedded in its European colonial legacy. Furthermore, we found that urban residents in this region have devised functional means to navigate their seemingly nondescript space. These revelations promise to fill some historiographic gaps in the literature on toponymic inscription in Africa in particular and urban history and planning in general.
KW - (post)colonial planning cultures
KW - (un)ambiguous addresses
KW - British and French legacies
KW - Toponymic inscriptions
KW - named/nameless streets
KW - urban sub-Saharan Africa
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84906045057&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1177/0021909613510246
DO - 10.1177/0021909613510246
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AN - SCOPUS:84906045057
SN - 0021-9096
VL - 50
SP - 25
EP - 40
JO - Journal of Asian and African Studies
JF - Journal of Asian and African Studies
IS - 1
ER -