Summary

The LASO Fall Writing Workshop brought together researchers to discuss the article-in-progress “Trans-imperial Networks of Recreational Architecture across Portugal and Colonial Africa, 1930s–1960s.” The article examines the circulation of corporate welfare architecture across Portugal, Angola, and the Belgian Congo between the 1930s and 1960s. Taking the Casa do Pessoal of the Diamond Company of Angola (Diamang) as its starting point, it traces how recreational institutions were adapted and reinterpreted across corporate and imperial networks linking Portugal to industrial settlements in Central Africa.

Danielle Sanchez acted as discussant, leading a conversation on the article’s comparative approach, archival sources, and contribution to the histories of architecture, labour, and colonialism. The discussion addressed the relationships between corporate welfare, labour supervision, sociability, and racial segregation, while highlighting the importance of situating recreational spaces within the specific political and ideological contexts of Portuguese and Belgian colonial rule.

The workshop provided an opportunity to reflect on the circulation of architectural models across imperial contexts and on the challenges of recovering workers’ experiences from the historical record, contributing to the ongoing development of the research.