Bricks, Documents and Pipes: Material Politics and Urban Development in Niamey, Niger

In this article I explore the ways in which material things—bricks, documents, pipes, and utility poles—mediate everyday life and politics in informal neighborhoods in Niamey, the capital of Niger. I argue that informal neighborhoods are key sites where the material becomes political. Created “from below,” these neighborhoods are literally constructed brick by brick through the gradual division of land plots, the incremental construction and improvement of houses, the negotiation of connections to the water and electricity networks, and attempts at securing public service provision. These material transformations are central to residents’ quest for legitimation in a context of insecure land tenure (rights). I pay particular attention to the ways in which these material transformations are mediated by social and political relations involving both state and non‐state actors (including the traditional chieftaincy, NGOs, public and private companies, and the municipality). In sum, the analysis of material transformations and interventions in informal neighborhoods elucidates the important role of infrastructure and other material things in shaping urban landscapes and in mediating political subjectivities in Niamey.