Research Focus Areas

Short Biography

Pierre Wenzel is a PhD candidate in the Department of Social and Cultural Anthropology at the University of Vienna. His research in urban anthropology investigates the entanglements between concretification and urbanization in Dakar. He focuses on the interrelations between materials, humans and the city. His historical approach aims to unveil the sedimented layers of the palimpsest city in order to understand the shape of the present city. He graduated in urban governance at Sciences Po Bordeaux, focusing on African Cities in partnership with the international master degree at Sciences Po Paris “Governing the Large Metropolis”. He worked two years and a half as a consultant and project manager for UNESCO at the regional office for West Africa-Sahel in Dakar. Pierre is more generally passionate about the culture sector, heritage studies, architecture, and postcolonial and decolonial theories.

Selected Publications

Wenzel, Pierre. 2024. “Shaping Concrete on Social Media in Dakar, Senegal.” Roadsides 11: 70-77. doi.org/10.26034/roadsides-202401110

Conferences

• Forum 2024  “Logements Abordables, Regards Croisés entre Vienne et Dakar » Université Amadou Mahtar Mbow, Dakar, « Construire (à) Dakar : Histoires de Chantier »
• EAUH 2024 (Ostrava): Cementing Dakar’s Heritage, House Biographies
• EASA 2024 (Barcelona): Dakar in Block, Concrete Diversions
• ECAS 2023 (Cologne): Planning on Pinterest, building in Dakar: the role of social media in shaping the city
• RAI 2023 (Online): Cementing Dakar, a journey in the shape of the city along the archives