Paper short abstract:

This paper explores Dakar's evolution and aims to tell overlooked stories of construction sites and construction workers. I discuss the blend of ethnographic methods I used, focusing on the use of photographs as a mediator and emphasizer of these stories.

Paper long abstract:

In this paper, I seek to explore Dakar's urban evolution, where the predominant gray color of construction sites conceals intricate everyday narratives. This study, based on twelve months of ethnographic fieldwork, aims to tell the often-overlooked stories of cement and construction workers woven into the city's fabric. I adopt a critical lens in pursuit of decolonizing ethnographic methods, by being aware of power dynamics arising from fieldwork and considering my positionality in listening, gathering, and shaping how these histories are compiled and shared. Photos elicit narratives, but they also create a shared space with interlocuters, broadened by the general use of smartphones. I use historical and recent photographs as mediators of stories, but also as mediators of the field. Tracing such narratives across time, this research delves into historical archives from the early 20th century to independence in 1960. The collection of photographs paints a vivid picture of construction sites, materials, and the individuals integral to the labor force; a contrast to written archives which often keep these “mundane” histories silenced. As these narratives unfold further today, I compare historical images with contemporary observations and pictures taken on an informal construction site in Parcelles Assainies, a district in the city's north. I discuss the use of photographs to bridge historical and contemporary histories as well as to balance my presence in the field. Combining archives, photos, and firsthand observation, I consider these methods as processual to explore narratives underlying the city, where sweat and effort echo through time.