Y a-t-il une expertise urbaine dans la cartographie missionnaire ?

Abstract

The point of view offered by missionaries to appreciate the urban condition in Africa in the second half of the 20th century is quite extraordinary. They are first-rate observers that know well their environment as they map it to better localise populations. However, the city paradoxically remains a territory they neglect in their representations. The aim of this presentation is to measure and then explain the very limited place given to cities on missionary maps. The very rural nature of missions in Africa will be examined as well as the often negative perception of the city shared by missionaries, since their future most probably rests on urbanization. The urban transition African countries go through in the 1950s, at the time of the end of colonial rule, makes it indispensible for Christian missions to adapt - or disappear.

Keywords

• Mission
• Missionaries
• Maps
• Cartography
• Town