The Social Processes of Spatial Production in Muslim Societies: The Case of Zanzibar

Abstract: The social processes of spatial production involve an interplay of power, resources, and everyday practices. Inspired by Lefebvre, in this article I provide a model delineating how spatial theories can be a means of understanding these intricate social processes of spatial production. In my model the built space of a city is not, as commonly claimed, a reflection of society. Rather, it is just one of many spaces society produces. Therefore, the production of the built space must be understood based on societal interactions with manifold spaces relative to power, resources, and everyday practice. I use the model to examine the social processes of spatial production in nineteenth- and twentieth-century Zanzibar, a city on the Swahili Coast. My examination is aided by the theories and techniques of “space syntax,” which help describe the hidden structures of physical space and their effects on social spaces and processes. Based on my examination, I find that Zanzibar maintained a dialectical relationship between power, resources, and everyday practices in the processes of spatial production under its Muslim rulers. I also find that its colonial rulers tried to subvert these preexisting processes to gain control of its people, politics, economy and society creating conflicts and contradictions in the preexisting social processes. Although these rulers were not completely successful, their actions had significantly disrupted these processes. I argue that social and political awareness, appropriate strategies, and intentional acts of compliance and resistance can help minimize the harmful effects of colonial disruptions on the production of spaces in this city. It is my hope that the model of the social production of spaces provided here will serve as an accessible means of grasping the several dimensions of Lefebvre’s spatial theories and will provide a robust means of analyzing the physical space of the city in relation to its complex social processes as illustrated using Zanzibar as an example.