Claudia Gastrow

Claudia Gastrow is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at North Carolina State University, specializing in urban anthropology with a focus on African cities. Her research examines processes of city-making in Southern, Central, East, and Lusophone Africa, particularly in Angola and Kenya. She holds a PhD in Anthropology from the University of Chicago, an MA in African Studies from the University of Basel, and dual BA/B.Soc.Sci degrees in Historical Studies and Political Studies from the University of Cape Town.

Her work explores urban aesthetics, political belonging, and the interplay between socialist legacies and contemporary urban challenges. Key projects include studying Angolan-Cuban architectural collaboration during Angola’s socialist era and analyzing racial capitalism through Nairobi’s real estate markets. Her 2024 book, The Aesthetics of Belonging, investigates oil-boom Luanda’s urban transformations. Gastrow’s research has been funded by prestigious organizations including the Wenner-Gren Foundation and the National Science Foundation.

Her articles address themes such as post-genocide urban renewal in Rwanda, Madagascar’s built form politics, and Luanda’s housing dynamics. She critiques how colonial legacies and global capital shape African urbanism, emphasizing materiality, inequality, and state-society interactions.

Awards include fellowships from the American Council of Learned Societies and the Social Sciences Research Council. Her interdisciplinary approach bridges anthropology with urban studies, offering critical perspectives on global South urbanization.