The downturn of the societal place of the Algerian woman expressed in the architecture of Algiers

Master thesis (2023)

Authors

Y.A. Ouibrahim Architecture and the Built Environment

Contributors

J.C. Edens Teachers of Practice / A - Architecture and the Built Environment (mentor)
Faculty
Architecture and the Built Environment, Architecture and the Built Environment
Copyright: © 2023 Yasmine Ouibrahim
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Published Date

20-04-2023

Language

English

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Faculty

Architecture and the Built Environment

Abstract

This thesis discusses the changing societal position of Algerian women over time, influenced by cultural, social, and political factors and how it is expressed in the city’s architecture. While women have played important roles in preserving Algerian culture, challenging gender norms, and participating in resistance movements, they have also faced gender-specific challenges. The thesis highlights how the relationship between women’s position and architecture in Algiers has been complex, with traditional dwellings reinforcing gender roles and patriarchal structures through separate living spaces for men and women.
The lack of representation of women in public spaces and the design of buildings and public facilities with men as the primary users further reinforce traditional gender norms. This thesis also notes the influence of colonial architecture in perpetuating Orientalist stereotypes of Algerian women, and the subsequent desire for a distinct national identity and women’s empowerment in post-independence Algerian architecture.
Today the downturn in emancipation is clearly visible in the city of Algiers and its architecture. Arabization and the tension to find national identity continues to oppress women in Algiers to this day. The thesis aims to analyse the expression of women’s development in architecture from before 1830 to after decolonization in 1962, in order to understand the changing social position of Algerian women.