Claudia Gastrow
Anthropologist and assistant professor of anthropology at North Carolina State University; author of The Aesthetics of Belonging, which examines indigenous urbanism and post‑war city building in Luanda.
Best podcasts with Claudia Gastrow
Ranked by the Snipd community
Oct 31, 2025 • 58min
Claudia Gastrow, "The Aesthetics of Belonging: Indigenous Urbanism and City Building in Oil-Boom Luanda" (UNC Press Books, 2024)
Claudia Gastrow, an anthropologist and assistant professor at North Carolina State University, delves into the urban transformation of Luanda, Angola, after the civil war. She discusses how the post-war rebuilding efforts, fueled by oil wealth, often neglected the intrinsic value of informal neighborhoods, or musseques. Gastrow highlights the aesthetic dissent that emerged in response to government designs, framing local urbanism as a form of political critique. As she reflects on the impact of halted development projects, she raises questions about the future of these communities.
Oct 31, 2025 • 58min
Claudia Gastrow, "The Aesthetics of Belonging: Indigenous Urbanism and City Building in Oil-Boom Luanda" (UNC Press Books, 2024)
Claudia Gastrow, an anthropologist and assistant professor, delves into the urban transformation of Luanda post-civil war, emphasizing the clash between grand government projects and the rich, vernacular heritage of musseques. She reveals how the aesthetics of urbanism reflect deeper issues of belonging and identity for residents. Through immersive research, Claudia highlights how displaced communities resist these mega-projects and critique their 'foreign' designs, sparking a movement that reclaims their Indigenous urban spaces.
