Description
Book SynopsisDanny Hoffman uses the ruins of four iconic modernist buildings in Monrovia, Liberia as a way to explore the relationship between the built environment and political imagination, showing how these former symbols of modernist nation building transformed into representations of the challenges that Monrovia's residents face.
Trade Review“
Monrovia Modern is a beautiful and perceptive book. It will appeal to both architecture and anthropology scholars concerned with ruins, violence, material culture, photography and West African politics.” -- Pauline Destree * Allegra Lab *
"A beautiful book that weaves together urban theory, architectural comprehension, photographic excellence, and rich anthropological immersion in the lives of Monrovians. . . . Few books are as ambitious or as creative as this one. . . .
Monrovia Modern will likely inspire scholars looking to combine photography, architectural design and critical social theory." -- Jeffrey W. Paller * Journal of Modern African Studies *
"Brave venture of a book. . . . A pioneering work in the way it combines different methods, media, and disciplines. . . . Hoffman’s newest is a beautiful work that one truly enjoys reading." -- Ilmari Käihkö * Anthropos *
"Danny Hoffman provides us with new empirical insights on West Africa, and a fascinating and original way of thinking the city that can inspire future scholarship." -- Maarten Bedert * African Studies Review *
"Hoffman’s book encourages fruitful thought about the politics of architecture and urban dwelling. . . This volume is rewarding reading." -- Anne S. Lewinson * International Journal of African Historical Studies *
“
Monrovia Modern is a testament to the complexities of the relationships humans hold with their creations and offers a rare perspective on those connections after the destruction of war has altered their form and functionality.... The book will be of interest to Africanists of all disciplines, but especially urban anthropologists, geographers, and students of architecture.” -- Barbara Hoffman * Africa Today *
Table of ContentsIllustrations xiii
Preface xvii
Acknowledgments xxiii
Introduction 1
1. Live Dangerously, My Brothers: Ex-Combatants and the Political Economy of Space 33
2. The Ministry of Defense: Excessive Architecture 61
3. E. J. Roye: The Corporate (Post)Modern 91
4. Hotel Africa: The Uncritical Ruin 115
5. Liberia Broadcasting System: Three Utopias 143
6. Finding Urban Form: A Coda 175
Notes 183
References 189
Index 203
