The construction of new urban areas "from scratch" is a widespread trend in Africa, driven by governments aiming to secure a position among international players. However, when these new cities are built on lands owned by indigenous communities, it triggers a profound transformation in the economic and normative aspects of their lives. Firstly, the affected communities face new forms of inequality and marginalization stemming from land expropriation and residential or professional displacement. Secondly, the normative impact is evident as Western planning and societal models forcefully penetrate previously traditional spaces, leading to a clash between ancestral customs and the imposition of Western capitalist and patriarchal norms. These effects of the new urban plan are not uniform across the native community and can be examined through a gendered lens.
This paper focuses on the case study of the Diamniadio plan in Senegal to explore the gendered impact of these new urban spaces on the evolving productive and reproductive roles of the Lébou community members. Preliminary qualitative data collection has revealed an increased professional vulnerability among young men and women. Men are compelled to emigrate in search of income due to land expropriation whereas women, and underage girls, are predominantly hired as housekeepers in the new city. While this exclusive professional "opportunity" enables women to become breadwinners in their households, it also confines them to the care sector as housekeepers for foreign and affluent residents. This situation exposes them to precarious and vulnerable living and working conditions.
The study of new city building and its implications for urban communities within the realm of urban anthropology literature provides an opportunity to explore various themes derived from the Marxist Feminist tradition. These themes encompass a range of issues, including precarity, informality, and risks of exploitation and sexual violence pertaining to the exploitation of domestic labor.
