'Ti Aumâs Oms': notes on a configuration of the NE 51/ series houses in Windhoek, Namibia.
This article examines the NE 51/ series 'matchbox' houses in Dolam, a suburb of the township Katutura, in Windhoek, Namibia – structures originally built during the late 1950s and early 1960s as a part of the Apartheid government's social engineering project to instil the values of 'Western style' M...
| Published in: | Critical African Studies Vol. 18; no. 1; pp. 94 - 113 |
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| Format: | Article |
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Taylor & Francis Ltd
Mar2026
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| Online Access: | View this record in EBSCOhost |
| fields | @attributes: recordID: 1 pdfLink: plink: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ssf&AN=192657178&site=ehost-live header: @attributes: shortDbName: ssf uiTerm: 192657178 longDbName: Social Sciences Full Text (H.W. Wilson) uiTag: AN controlInfo: bkinfo: jinfo: jid: 21681392 FKQZ jtl: Critical African Studies issn: 21681392 maglogo: Y pubinfo: dt: Mar2026 vid: 18 iid: 1 pid: 377 pub: Taylor & Francis Ltd artinfo: ui: 192657178 10.1080/21681392.2026.2638289 ppf: 94 ppct: 19 formats: tig: atl: 'Ti Aumâs Oms': notes on a configuration of the NE 51/ series houses in Windhoek, Namibia. aug: au: Boulton, Jack affil: Laboratoire d'Anthropologie des Mondes Contemporains, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium su: Namibia Windhoek (Namibia) Kinship Urban life Cities & towns Dwellings Apartheid Intergenerational households Modernism (Art) sug: subj: Kinship Urban life Cities & towns Dwellings Apartheid Namibia Windhoek (Namibia) Residential building construction Other Building Finishing Contractors Architectural Services Intergenerational households Modernism (Art) keyword: house kinship township Windhoek house kinship township Windhoek ab: This article examines the NE 51/ series 'matchbox' houses in Dolam, a suburb of the township Katutura, in Windhoek, Namibia – structures originally built during the late 1950s and early 1960s as a part of the Apartheid government's social engineering project to instil the values of 'Western style' Modernist living. Through a case study of three houses, the article explores how residents have redefined these colonial-era spaces. The study reveals that these homes, often owned and headed by women, have undergone significant renovations to accommodate multi-generational living. Moreover, the relationships between neighbouring households form a 'configuration' that transcends the physical boundaries of individual houses. The presence of a shared gate and the continuous exchange of resources and support illustrate how kinship networks extend beyond singular dwellings. Drawing on extensive ethnographic fieldwork, this article contributes to broader discussions on the intersection of housing, kinship, and urban life in post-Apartheid Namibia. It challenges conventional understandings of township houses as isolated units, instead positioning them as interconnected spaces where social ties are actively maintained and reconfigured. pubtype: Academic Journal doctype: Article src: R language: English refInfo: copyright: @attributes: flag: N holdings: @attributes: islocal: N |
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