This volume is an empirical study examining the extent to which historic and iconic architecture and spaces in Zimbabwe - particularly in urban areas - have been mobilized to construct and reconstruct identities. The author explores the question of traditional and political architecture through analysis of a variety of structures, including monuments, museums, and indigenous and state buildings. Special attention is paid to the soapstone-carved Zimbabwe Bird, which for years has served as the national emblem. Overall, this book argues that while the production and use of architectural products and spaces have been regarded symbols of collective identity, they have also served as expressions of power and control.
Author(s): Langtone Maunganidze
Publisher: Springer
Year: 2024
Language: English
Pages: 170
Acknowledgements
Contents
About the Author
Abbreviations and Acronyms
List of Figures
List of Tables
Chapter 1: Setting the Tone
Take-Off
Theoretical Mapping
Methodological Terrain
Motivation and Justification
Layout of the Book
References
Chapter 2: Framing Iconic Architecture: Context and Dimensions
Introduction
Iconic and Historic Architecture
The Power of Architecture and Architecture of Power
Between Iconicity and Elitism
Iconic Architecture and Non-elite Publics
Conclusion
References
Chapter 3: Materiality, Architectural Re-figuration and Identity
Introduction
Architectural and Spatial Re-figuration: Place Naming and Name Making
Architecture and Identity
Conclusion
References
Chapter 4: Museums, Monuments and Statues: A Critical Review
Introduction
The Great Zimbabwe
The Zimbabwe Bird: “Sovereign” Architecture
The National Heroes’ Acre: The “Bridge” That Connects and Separates
Statues and Inscriptions of Identities
Community Museums and Monuments
Illusion of Collective Memorialization
Conclusion
References
Chapter 5: Deconstructing Iconic and Historicist State Buildings
Introduction
State Personality and Architectural Representation
Decolonial Toponyms and Spatial Re-figuration
The Post-modern Turn
Accessibility Enhancement
Conclusion
References
Chapter 6: Inside Indigeneity and Iconicity: The African Traditional Hut
Introduction
Framing African Traditional Hut
The Many Faces of the Hut
Materiality and Identity Formation
Conclusion
References
Chapter 7: Urban Informality: Sponsored or Agentive Materialization?
Introduction
Framing “Autogestive Informality”
Methodological Orientation
Drivers of Urban Informality
Discourses of Political Survival
State Fragility and Institutionalized Corruption
Sponsored or Agentive Informality
Wicked and Fungible Materialization
Conclusion
References
Chapter 8: Gender, Architecture and Space
Introduction
Gendering Architecture and Space: The Connections
Gendered Representation and Materialization
Women, Architecture and Space
Conclusion
References
Chapter 9: Reflection and Conclusion
Overview
Chapter Snippets
Representation, Materialization and Power: The Intersections
Revisiting the Iconograghy-Dispositif Debate
Conceptual Reflection and Research Implications
References
Index
