Master dissertation by Mangaza Aurelie Shomari

This master’s dissertation investigates the formation, function, and transformation of borders in the colonial city of Elisabethville (now Lubumbashi, DRC). At the outset of this research, a theoretical framework is established that defines borders not as static lines but as dynamic socio-spatial processes. Drawing on the works of David Newman (bordering), Achille Mbembe (colonial command), and Homi Bhabha (liminality), the dissertation lays a conceptual foundation to understand how colonial borders were both imposed and contested.

Using a visual-analytical and multi-scalar methodology, the research maps border-making practices at three spatial levels: the city, the neighbourhood and the individual plot. Primary sources include historical maps, planning documents, and especially a 1958 photographic report created by the Office des Cités Africaines (OCA), which captured daily life in the Katuba and Kenya neighbourhoods.

Part 1 analyses how colonial authorities implemented natural, infrastructural, and socio-economic borders to enforce racial segregation and urban control at both the city and neighbourhood levels. Particular attention is given to the cité indigène of Katuba, designed to embody colonial ideals of order. At the scale of the plot, borders are examined through architectural elements such as the hedge, the front yard, the house envelope, the interior and the garden.

Part 2 shifts focus to the everyday experiences of residents by examining the permeability of these imposed borders. Through case studies, it explores how Congolese inhabitants navigated and redefined (economic) borders in daily life. Again, architectural elements such as the hedge, the front yard, the house envelope, interior and the garden are revisited to show how residents subverted or reappropriated colonial spatial prescriptions.

Part 3 traces the postcolonial evolution of Lubumbashi and the neighbourhood of Katuba. It reflects on how colonial borders were transformed or reinterpreted in the decades following independence and how they continue to shape the urban fabric of contemporary Lubumbashi.

This dissertation argues that the colonial city was structured not only through physical spatial interventions but also through invisible borders tied to negotiation. It contributes to a deeper understanding of how colonial spatial orders were both enforced and undermined, offering a nuanced view of the layered realities that shaped and continue to shape urban life in postcolonial Congo.