Razing Africville: A Geography of Racism offers a powerful historical account of how the Black community of Africville in Halifax was destroyed under the banner of urban renewal and slum clearance in the 1960s.
Drawing on urban planning texts, city council records, news coverage, and academic writing, the author traces how Africville was framed first as a slum, then as a problem to be eliminated, and finally as a park that masks the violence of displacement. The book shows how the city neglected the community for years, denied basic services, and then used the resulting conditions to justify eviction.
Through a geographic lens, the study explores how race is linked to space, arguing that the regulation of Black bodies and neighbourhoods in Halifax produced a broader “geography of racism.” It also considers how the former site of Africville has become both a place of protest and commemoration in the absence of a formal apology or full compensation.
Razing Africville is a thoughtful, critical re-examination of a pivotal Canadian case of displacement, making it valuable for readers interested in urban history, race relations, and the politics of space.
- Examines Africville’s destruction as a prolonged eviction
- Connects urban planning decisions to systemic racism
- Highlights memory, protest, and public space at the former site
