Congratulations, Shaharin Elham Annisa! We are delighted to announce that Shaharin Annisa has successfully completed her PhD at the Städtebau-Institut / Internationale Urbanistik und Entwerfen, Universität Stuttgart under the supervision of Prof. Dr.-Ing. Astrid Ley. Her dissertation defence took place on 9 July 2025, and she was awarded the highest academic distinction: Summa cum laude. The examiners were Prof. Dr. Astrid Ley and Prof. Dr. Peter Herrle, while the examination committee was headed by Prof. Dr. Leonie Fischer. Furthermore, her work on ground was supported by Prof. Dr. Gilbert Siame from University of Zambia (UNZA) and Charity Kalombo from Zambia Institue of Planners.
Her doctoral research, entitled ‘The Translocal Individual: Migration, Translocality and Translocal Spaces from Lusaka, Zambia’, explores how migration and translocality shape urbanization in Sub-Saharan Africa. Taking Zambia as a case study, she investigated how individuals maintain and develop networks across multiple locations, challenging the traditional rural–urban divide.
The research addressed the central question: How does translocality emerge and develop among individuals in Zambia, and what factors shape their translocal space across multiple localities? This was explored through three sub-questions focusing on (1) the dimensions and factors that shape translocality, (2) the profiles and migration histories of translocal individuals, and (3) the key elements influencing the development of translocal spaces.
Using a qualitative narrative approach, Shaharin collected and restructured personal migration stories from residents in Lusaka’s informal settlement of Kanyama. Her analysis identified five key dimensions of translocality: multilocality, exchange and interdependencies, temporality and transitory, hybridity, and sense of belonging. She documented eight distinct migration profiles, revealed the critical role of spatial and social nodes in anchoring connections, and highlighted the interplay between mobility and situatedness.
Her findings show that translocality is a process, not just an outcome — fluid, relational, and shaped by place, people, and networks over time. Importantly, she demonstrates that urbanization in Sub-Saharan Africa depends on the strengthening of rural–urban linkages, rather than replacing rural with urban. This perspective offers valuable implications for policymakers and development practitioners seeking to design strategies that acknowledge and support these interconnected spaces.
We warmly congratulate Shaharin Annisa on her outstanding achievement and valuable contribution to the field of international urbanism!
