De communes françaises à villes sénégalaises : l’espace urbain des « Quatre communes » à travers une étude toponymique
From French municipalities to Senegalese cities: the urban space of the ‘Four Municipalities’ through a toponymic study

Summary/Abstract: Before gaining independence, Senegal was an area that included a piece of French territory in the form of the four communes of Saint-Louis, Dakar, Gorée and Rufisque. Their geographical location made them areas of very important economic interest for the colonists (Portuguese, Dutch, English, French, etc.). Indeed, the colonists st them up as trading posts. In this article, we look at these communes from two angles. Saint-Louis was the capital of the AOF (French West Africa) and Dakar, the capital of the AOF after Saint-Louis, and is now the capital of Senegal. They have developed a very dense and more eclectic urban lexicon due to their role, particularly in terms of their administrative and institutional organization and mode of management. This is why they have a huge interest in the elements of place names that recall their cultural diversity, their role as national and transnational symbols, and their role as centers of decision-making and power. In the case of Gorée and Rufisque, now part of the Dakar region, the focus will be on heritage and cultural issues. First, we look at the question of naming and designating places. We will examine, then, the role of administrative and cultural factors in place naming. From an administrative perspective, housing or construction institutions undoubtedly have played a tremendous role, with many neighborhoods named after them. From a cultural perspective, we will focus on the “creation of a heritage of memory” and the impact of traditional endogenous practices for the choice of names in different places.

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