Cova da Moura: Cape Verdean identity and urban conflict on the outskirts of Lisbon

Abstract

The neighbourhood of Cova da Moura is located on the outskirts of Lisbon and since its foundation it has been strongly linked to the immigrant origin of its seven thousand inhabitants. For forty years they have given uses, forms and meanings to the neighbourhood space, which expressly claimed the Cape Verdean identity. The aim of this paper is to reflect on the process of territorialisation and frame it in the context of urban conflict, which contributes to its underlying meaning. We present an ethnographic description of the evolution of this neighbourhood, attending to both the role played by external actors Í€“public administration and companies- and the self-organizing initiatives articulated by neighbours.