Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 4, 2026
11:41
Evaluation of an Exclusive Spur Dike U-Turn Design with Radar-Collected Data and Simulation
Published on: February 1, 2020
21.1K
Unseeing urban divides in Luanda and Maputo
1Division of Urban Studies, Department of Social Sciences, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
Environment and Planning. D, Society & Space
|April 3, 2026
Summary
Urban inequality is navigated through "unseeing," a cultural skill where people ignore divisions in city life. This ethnographic study in Luanda and Maputo reveals how "unseeing" upholds social divides but also highlights moments that challenge these divisions.
Area of Science:
- Urban Sociology
- Cultural Anthropology
- Social Geography
Background:
- Contemporary urban environments exhibit stark inequalities.
- China Miéville's novel, The City & The City, introduces the concept of navigating divided urban realities.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore "unseeing" as a key cultural skill for understanding and coping with urban inequality.
- To analyze the social production and maintenance of divisions within urban lifeworlds.
Main Methods:
- Long-term ethnographic fieldwork in Luanda and Maputo.
- Qualitative analysis of social practices and cultural skills related to urban division.
Main Results:
- "Unseeing" is identified as a crucial social practice for managing the contradictions of contemporary capitalism and urban life.
- Ethnographic data from Luanda and Maputo illustrate how "unseeing" produces and upholds divisions between disparate urban lifeworlds.
- Moments of "breach" were observed, revealing forces that reinforce social division and practices that encourage visibility.
Conclusions:
- "Unseeing" is an ingrained social practice necessary for coexisting with urban inequality.
- Urban spaces offer potential for "breaches" that challenge social divisions and promote awareness.
- Further research can explore interventions that counter "unseeing" and foster greater social cohesion.
Related Concept Videos
01:26Areas Within Irregular Boundaries
466
Calculating areas within irregular boundaries, such as along rivers or curved roads, is crucial in various fields, including surveying, engineering, and environmental management. Surveyors often begin by creating a traverse, a connected series of straight lines approximating the area's boundary. The coordinates of each traverse point are essential for calculating the enclosed area. The double meridian distance formula is a widely used technique for this purpose. This method utilizes the...
466
01:29Levels of Use of a GIS
456
Geographic Information Systems (GIS) operate across three levels of application, each representing an increasing degree of complexity: data management, analysis, and prediction. These levels reflect the expanding functionality and versatility of GIS technology in handling spatial data for diverse purposes.Data ManagementAt its foundational level, GIS serves as a tool for data management, enabling the input, storage, retrieval, and organization of spatial data. This level is often employed in...
456
02:29Hybrid Zones
22.5K
Hybrid zones are narrow regions where two closely related species interact, mate, and produce hybrids. Relative to either parent species, hybrids may possess distinct phenotypic or genetic differences that impact their survival and reproductive success. The genetic variances introduced by hybridization influence species diversity and speciation processes within the hybrid zone.
22.5K
02:31Habitat Fragmentation
21.9K
Habitat fragmentation describes the division of a more extensive, continuous habitat into smaller, discontinuous areas. Human activities such as land conversion, as well as slower geological processes leading to changes in the physical environment, are the two leading causes of habitat fragmentation. The fragmentation process typically follows the same steps: perforation, dissection, fragmentation, shrinkage, and attrition.
21.9K
01:23Types of Building Separation Joints
715
Building separation joints divide large or complex building structures into smaller, discrete units that can move independently. These joints are categorized into three types: volume-change joints, settlement joints, and seismic separation joints.
Volume-change joints address the effects of expansion and contraction due to temperature and moisture variations. They are strategically placed at discontinuities in a building's mass where cracking is most likely and are spaced about 150 to 200...
Volume-change joints address the effects of expansion and contraction due to temperature and moisture variations. They are strategically placed at discontinuities in a building's mass where cracking is most likely and are spaced about 150 to 200...
715
01:26Area Problem
232
Determining the area of a region with straight edges is straightforward, as geometric formulas for rectangles, triangles, and polygons can be applied directly. However, traditional geometric methods are insufficient when a region has a curved boundary, such as the area under a function.fromThe area problem involves finding a systematic way to measure such regions. One approach to solving this problem is through approximation. Instead of attempting to compute the area exactly at the outset, the...
232