LA SAPOLOGIE : DU CHOC DES CIVILISATIONS A L’IDENTITE SOCIALE DE LA POPULATION CONGOLAISE

Sapology: From the Clash of Civilizations to the Social Identity of the Congolese Population. Known as the art of dressing elegantly and extravagantly, sapology has become a social identity of the Congolese community. Yet, most of the population in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo) lives below the poverty line, with less than one US dollar a day. Given this controversial reality, the fundamental questions that this article attempts to answer are namely: - how have exogenous factors significantly contributed to the emergence and evolution of sapology to the point of becoming a culture and social identity of the Congolese community? - And how has sapology impacted the culture and the socio-economic situation of the Congolese community? Several studies in the literature focus on endogenous factors that construct a social identity. However, a few of them analyze how exogenous factors can contribute to constructing a culture and social identity. Using Samuel Huntington’s “clash of civilization” theory, the article demonstrates how exogenous factors have significantly contributed to the emergence of sapology to point of becoming a social identity and a modus vivendi (way of life) of the Congolese community.