Cheikh Anta Diop

Cheikh Anta Diop (29 December 1923 – 7 February 1986) was a Senegalese historian, anthropologist, physicist, and politician who studied the human race's origins and pre-colonial African culture. Diop's work is considered foundational to the theory of Afrocentricity, though he himself never described himself as an Afrocentrist. The questions he posed about cultural bias in scientific research contributed greatly to the postcolonial turn in the study of African civilizations. Diop argued that there was a shared cultural continuity across African people that was more important than the varied development of different ethnic groups shown by differences among languages and cultures over time. Some of his ideas have been criticized as based upon outdated sources and an outdated conception of race. Other scholars have defended his work from what they see as widespread misrepresentation. Cheikh Anta Diop University (formerly known as the University of Dakar), in Dakar, Senegal, is named after him. Born in Thieytou, Diourbel Region, Senegal, Diop belonged to an aristocratic Muslim Wolof family in Senegal where he was educated in a traditional Islamic school. Diop's family was part of the Mouride brotherhood, the only independent Muslim fraternity in Africa according to Diop. He obtained the colonial equivalent of the metropolitan French baccalauréat in Senegal before moving to Paris to study for a degree. In 1946, at the age of 23, Diop went to Paris to study. He initially enrolled to study higher mathematics, but then enrolled to study philosophy in the Faculty of Arts of the University of Paris. He gained his first degree (licence) in philosophy in 1948, then enrolled in the Faculty of Sciences, receiving two diplomas in chemistry in 1950. In 1948 Diop edited with Madeleine Rousseau, a professor of art history, a special edition of the journal Musée vivant, published by the Association populaire des amis des musées (APAM). APAM had been set up in 1936 by people on the political left wing to bring culture to wider audiences.

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Entre ville et campagne: logements périurbains denses

Céline Clivaz, Joëlle Cruchon

Les changements de mode de vie, comme l'augmentation de la pendularité notamment, ont accentué le phénomène d'étalement urbain. Face à ces enjeux territoriaux, les communes périurbaines se doivent de se développer en leur centre afin de limiter leur emprise dévorante sur le paysage. Vivre dans le périurbain offre une qualité de vie riche et agréable, des espaces verts et ouverts et, avant tout, une quiétude attirante. L'enjeu se situe, selon nous, dans la proposition du mode d'habiter: offrir un habitat intermédiaire entre le logement individuel et collectif. Les seuils de transition entre les parties publiques et privées sont mis en scène de sorte à favoriser la rencontre et l'intimité. A l'échelle du quartier et du village, l'énergie est portée sur des espaces de vie collectifs afin de sauvegarder l'esprit villageois, souvent mis à mal par l'arrivée des citadins. Le choix du site de la gare de Bercher est motivé par la qualité de la desserte en transport public qui confère à ce site une situation privilégiée et durable pour un développement futur. La morphologie du bâti en cluster et la typologie rayonnante des logements offrent un mode de vie proche de la nature. Un espace collectif central extérieur permet l'accès aux logements et devient fédérateur de rencontres. Enfin, l'emprise au sol modérée des bâtiments laisse place à des espaces verts généreux et permet de rétablir la connexion avec la nature environnante.

2015