Publication
Title
Multilingualism and the city: the construction of urban identities in Dakar (Senegal)
Author
Abstract
Although place and language are two key elements in the composition of social identities, they are often studied in separate academic enterprises. This article brings them together, and examines their role in the construction of multiple urban identities. Analyzing how urbanites in Dakar shape their identities, I illustrate how linguistic and geographical criteria contribute to the formation of we versus they alliances, which in turn produce a specific sense of spatiality. Examining the case of the suburban neighborhood of Yoff, I show how residents construct fluid identities that range from urbanites to village people, each one of which is linked to a particular linguistic and cultural context. This article contributes to an understanding of how life in a multilingual city like Dakar offers a broad choice of identities that urban resident employ and maneuver on a daily level.
Language
English
Source (journal)
City & society / American Anthropological Association; Society for Urban Anthropology. - Washington, D.C., 1987, currens
Publication
Washington, D.C. : American Anthropological Association , 2008
ISSN
0893-0465 [print]
1548-744X [online]
DOI
10.1111/J.1548-744X.2008.00022.X
Volume/pages
20 :2 (2008) , p. 282-300
Full text (Publisher's DOI)
UAntwerpen
Faculty/Department
Research group
Publication type
Subject
Affiliation
Publications with a UAntwerp address
External links
VABB-SHW
Record
Identifier
Creation 04.02.2009
Last edited 04.03.2024
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