Images of African Informal Settlements: Exploring Contested Experiences of Place, Gender, and Development in West Point, Liberia

Images of African Informal Settlements: Exploring Contested Experiences of Place, Gender, and Development in West Point, Liberia By Wren Naomi Laing A Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of B.A Joint Honours in Geography and Political Science Department of Geography McGill University Montréal (Québec) Canada April 2012 © Wren Naomi Laing ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The research and writing of this thesis would not have been possible without the efforts of the following individuals: My supervisor in the Department of Geography at McGill University, Dr. Nancy Ross: thank you for your helpful edits and comments on drafts and for your continuous guidance and support throughout the research and writing process. My research methods professor and thesis reader, Dr. Sarah Turner: thank you for taking the time to read and evaluate this thesis and for helping me to become a more rigorous and reflexive researcher. My family and friends in Canada: thank you for all of the love and support you provided while I was in Liberia and back home, for allowing me to talk about my research (and for listening with open ears), and for motivating me to see this project through to the end. A special thank you goes to my friend James Di Paolo for his cartography assistance. Boakai Vafoley and my friends and colleagues in Liberia: thank you for your insights, enthusiasm, help, and suggestions. Your thoughts have invaluably shaped the ideas on these pages. The McCall MacBain Foundation: thank you for inspiring me with your model of philanthropy, for encouraging me to investigate my interests, and for providing the financial support that made this research and my experience in Liberia possible. Most importantly, to my facilitator from West Point, Jacob, and to all the people in West Point who welcomed me into their community and allowed me to spend time with them, My sincerest thanks. ii TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgements.......................................................................................................................................ii List of Figures and Maps..............................................................................................................................iv Abstract.........................................................................................................................................................v CHAPTER 1: Introduction.............................................................................................................................1 1.1: Thesis Aims and Objectives..............................................................................................................1 1.2: Situating the Research.......................................................................................................................2 1.3: Thesis Outline....................................................................................................................................3 CHAPTER 2: Conceptual framework............................................................................................................5 2.1: Defining Place....................................................................................................................................6 2.1.1: The Deteriorating Space.........................................................................................................7 2.1.2: The Stagnant Place................................................................................................................9 2.2: Community Planning, Urban Policy, and the African State............................................................12 2.2.1: Defining Community Planning and Urban Policy................................................................12 2.2.2: Designing for the End User..................................................................................................13 CHAPTER 3: Context..................................................................................................................................15 3.1: “The Love of Liberty Brought Us Here”.........................................................................................15 3.1.2: Between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mesurado River..........................................................15 3.2: West Point Today............................................................................................................................17 CHAPTER 4: Methodology.........................................................................................................................20 4.1: The Research Plan...........................................................................................................................20 4.1.1: Interviewing Residents of West Point..................................................................................21 4.1.2: Interviewing State Officials..................................................................................................23 4.2: Observational Field Research..........................................................................................................24 4.3: Research Challenges and Constraints..............................................................................................35 CHAPTER 5: The View from Here: Resident Images of West Point.........................................................27 5.1: The Physical Space..........................................................................................................................28 Profile 1: Jacob Johnson....................................................................................................31 5.1.2: The Image of the City...........................................................................................................32 5.1.3: Economy, Community and Reciprocity...............................................................................33 5.1.4: “When you Approach by Boat: West Point’s Urban Image”...............................................37 Profile 2: David k. Chayee.................................................................................................38 5.2: The Changing Place.........................................................................................................................40 5.2.1: Ideas of Progress...................................................................................................................41 Profile 3: Anita Jebbah.......................................................................................................41 5.2.2: Women In West Point...........................................................................................................45 Profile 4: Kulah Borbor.....................................................................................................46 CHAPTER 6: Power and Place: The Government and West Point.............................................................53 6.1: Unless it’s an Election Year.............................................................................................................53 6.2: The Long Hot Summer....................................................................................................................55 6.2.1: African Urban Ideals.............................................................................................................56 6.2.2: Current Urban Planning Strategies and Priorities.................................................................58 6.2.3: Governance Challenges and the Road Ahead.......................................................................59 CHAPTER 7: “A Great Future”: Conclusion and Recommendations.........................................................63 7.1: Recommendations for Future Research...........................................................................................63 7.2: Towards a Revised Block By Block Approach...............................................................................64 Reference List..............................................................................................................................................67 Appendix A: Research Board Ethics Certificate..........................................................................................71 Appendix B: Informed Consent Form.........................................................................................................72 Appendix C: List of Interviews....................................................................................................................73 iii LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1.1: Map of Liberia...............................................................................................................3 Figure 3.1: Map of Monrovia.........................................................................................................16 Figure 3.2: Map of West Point.......................................................................................................17 Figure 5.1: Image of Jacob, West Point resident and his family...................................................31 Figure 5.2: Image of fishing crews in West Point.........................................................................35 Figure 5.3: Image of men in Bible Way, West Point.....................................................................36 Figure 5.5: Image of Anita, West Point resident...........................................................................41 Figure 5.6: Image of

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