CONSTRUCTING DAKAR: CULTURAL THEORY AND COLONIAL POWER RELATIONS IN FRENCH AFRICAN URBAN DEVELOPMENT by Dustin Alan Harris B.A. Honours History, University of British Columbia, 2008 THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS In the Department Of History © Dustin Alan Harris 2011 SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY Spring 2011 All rights reserved. However, in accordance with the Copyright Act of Canada, this work may be reproduced, without authorization, under the conditions for Fair Dealing. Therefore, limited reproduction of this work for the purposes of private study, research, criticism, review and news reporting is likely to be in accordance with the law, particularly if cited appropriately. APPROVAL Name: Dustin Alan Harris Degree: Master of Arts Title of Thesis: Constructing Dakar: Cultural Theory and Colonial Power Relations in French African Urban Development Examining Committee: Chair: Dr. Mary-Ellen Kelm Associate Professor, Department of History Simon Fraser University ___________________________________________ Dr. Roxanne Panchasi Senior Supervisor Associate Professor, Department of History Simon Fraser University ___________________________________________ Dr. Nicolas Kenny Supervisor Assistant Professor, Department of History Simon Fraser University ___________________________________________ Dr. Hazel Hahn External Examiner Associate Professor, Department of History Seattle University Date Defended/Approved: January 26 2011 Note (Don’t forget to delete this note before printing): The Approval page must be only one page long. This is because it MUST be page “ii”, while the Abstract page MUST begin on page “iii”. To accommodate longer titles, longer examining committee lists, or any other feature that demands more space, you have a variety of choices. Consider reducing the font size (10 pt is acceptable), changing the font (see templates Appendix 2, for font choices), using a table to create two columns for examiners, reducing spacing for signatures, indentation and tab spacing. If you have a small committee, then consider spreading the content and spacing to fill the page more fully. The goal is an attractive, dignified approval page that both meets your needs, and still keeps the essentials, including the date, all on one page. Finally, don’t delete this page from your electronic document, if your department‟s graduate assistant is producing the “real” approval page for signature. You need to keep the page in your document, so that the “Approval” heading continues to appear in the Table of Contents. ii Declaration of Partial Copyright Licence The author, whose copyright is declared on the title page of this work, has granted to Simon Fraser University the right to lend this thesis, project or extended essay to users of the Simon Fraser University Library, and to make partial or single copies only for such users or in response to a request from the library of any other university, or other educational institution, on its own behalf or for one of its users. The author has further granted permission to Simon Fraser University to keep or make a digital copy for use in its circulating collection (currently available to the public at the “Institutional Repository” link of the SFU Library website <www.lib.sfu.ca> at: <http://ir.lib.sfu.ca/handle/1892/112>) and, without changing the content, to translate the thesis/project or extended essays, if technically possible, to any medium or format for the purpose of preservation of the digital work. The author has further agreed that permission for multiple copying of this work for scholarly purposes may be granted by either the author or the Dean of Graduate Studies. It is understood that copying or publication of this work for financial gain shall not be allowed without the author’s written permission. Permission for public performance, or limited permission for private scholarly use, of any multimedia materials forming part of this work, may have been granted by the author. This information may be found on the separately catalogued multimedia material and in the signed Partial Copyright Licence. While licensing SFU to permit the above uses, the author retains copyright in the thesis, project or extended essays, including the right to change the work for subsequent purposes, including editing and publishing the work in whole or in part, and licensing other parties, as the author may desire. The original Partial Copyright Licence attesting to these terms, and signed by this author, may be found in the original bound copy of this work, retained in the Simon Fraser University Archive. Simon Fraser University Library Burnaby, BC, Canada Last revision: Spring 09 ABSTRACT This thesis examines urban development and colonial power relations in the French West African capital of Dakar between 1902 and 1914. Founded in Senegal in 1857, Dakar was constructed to physically implement and visibly project France‟s assimilationist conception of colonial power. Dakar‟s transformation as a “French” city was central to the integration of its African inhabitants into French culture. However, at the same time that assimilation impacted Dakar‟s development and population, the policies enacted by local French authorities gradually shifted to reflect the theory of cultural association, including the spatial segregation of African city-dwellers. In addition to addressing the complexities of colonial rule in Dakar, this thesis examines the ways the city‟s indigenous residents negotiated their own lived experience, considering their agency and responses to colonial ruling strategies. Keywords: Assimilation; Association; Dakar; Exclusion; French West Africa; Integration; Lebou; Médina; Originaires; Segregation iii DEDICATION For my family and teachers iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This thesis would not have been possible without the help and support of many important people. I am grateful to the various staff and faculty members of SFU‟s History Department. I thank Dr. Mary-Ellen Kelm for her support, and greatly appreciate the questions and direction I received from Seattle University‟s Dr. Hazel Hahn at my defence. Dr. Nicolas Kenny was generous with his time and provided indispensable criticism and encouragement. Most importantly, I thank Dr. Roxanne Panchasi. Her stimulating questions, insightful guidance, and honest feedback not only helped me to clarify my arguments, but also significantly shaped my intellectual and personal growth. I also gratefully acknowledge the financial support I received from SFU‟s History Department, SFU‟s Senate Graduate Awards Adjudication Committee, and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. I would like to give special thanks to my friends and family. My fellow graduate students in the History Department have made my experience as a master‟s student an enjoyable one. I especially thank Wyatt and Sergio for their good advice, friendship, and vital moral support. I could not have completed my thesis without the constant love and support of my family, particularly my mom and Shaahreyna. I will forever appreciate the time they took to listen to me talk about my research, read my thesis, and provide sound and helpful advice about my work. v TABLE OF CONTENTS Approval ............................................................................................................................... ii Abstract ............................................................................................................................... iii Dedication ........................................................................................................................... iv Acknowledgements ................................................................................................................v Table of Contents ................................................................................................................. vi List of Figures ..................................................................................................................... vii 1. Introduction: Continuity and Change in Colonial Dakar, 1902-1914 ................................1 “A Natural Capital of all our African Possessions” ...........................................................4 Assimilation, Association and French Colonial Policy ....................................................14 Rethinking French African Urban Development and Constructing Dakar .........................21 2. A French City in West Africa: Assimilationist Ideals and the Urban Morphogenesis of Colonial Dakar ..................................................................................30 Planning French West Africa‟s Capital ..........................................................................33 Sanitation and Public Health Schemes in Colonial Dakar ................................................44 Les Grands Travaux Publics .........................................................................................51 3. Walking in the Colonial City: Shifting Norms in French West Africa’s Ville Impériale ........................................................................................................................60 French and African Spaces in Dakar-Ville .....................................................................63 The Decline of Assimilation in French West Africa ........................................................77 Redefining “French” Dakar ...........................................................................................86