A visual and narrative analysis tracing the trajectory of 1950s large housing estates in Oran, Algeria
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Abstract
It was the dominance of a new architectural scene on Algerian soil, the large housing estates were revealed in different ways through all the means available to society at the time. Photographic dissemination became essential at the moment of the inauguration of the large construction sites. The aim was to publicize the actions carried out by the French colonization, which were clear operations intended to support the adopted strategy into both a political and social issue and to present a sign of modernity that was never recognized before. This article is aimed at tracing the trajectory of large housing estates across three disciplinary fields: architectural history, social history, and urban history. It explores their emergence, dissemination, and reception in space and time from 1950 to the present day through the lens of photography. The research question is to clarify how photography has represented large housing estates of the 20th century and how it continues to do so. Our approach involves two methodologies. First, we conduct an in-depth examination of archival documents from Algeria and the BNF Gallica online library. Second, we incorporate the narrative voices of inhabitants through semi-structured interviews, focusing on three of the most remarkable large housing estates in the city of Oran as a case study. The results identify three key phases in the trajectory of large housing estates in Oran: the period of dissemination and publicity, the period of virulent criticism due to physical deterioration, and finally, the phase of rebirth through the work of contemporary artists. During the analysis, a major aspect emerged: the trajectory of large housing estates is not uniform but rather varies from one recipient to another, depending on the specific context.
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