15 Aug 2013

Kenyan in Oslo Doctoral Thesis Defence: Joseph W. Kamenju


KiN Reports
PhD Candidate Joseph W. Kamenju is set to defend his thesis, entitled "Transformation of Kikuyu Traditional Architecture: Case study of homesteads in lower Mukurwe-ini, Nyeri, Kenya" on 15th August.

This thesis brings together the diverse documentation of Kikuyu traditional architecture written within a span of approximately one hundred years from 1910 to the present. It traces the transformation of Kikuyu traditional architecture from its contact with the forces of civilization to the present.

It demonstrates how the transformative forces of the 3Cs ‐ Christianity, Civilization and Commerce that were coined and set in motion by David Livingstone in Africa, impacted and transformed Kikuyu traditional architecture. The thesis also touches on the volatile period of 1952‐58 in Kikuyu history and shows how the events of that period impacted on the transformation of the entire Kikuyu countryside.

The thesis argues for a strengthening of interdisciplinality in order to solve better the issues confronting the complex societal needs of a fast developing culture like Kenya.

Joseph Kamenju is a Lecturer in the Department of Architecture and Building Science of the University of Nairobi, Kenya where he teaches Architectural History and Conservation. He studied architecture at the University of Nairobi and the Politechnic of Turin, Italy.
  • Date: 15.08.2013
  • Time: 10:00 - 15:00       
  • Address: Maridalsveien 29
  • Contact: Reidun Høydal
  • Phone: 22 99 70 00

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hongera Daktari

Unknown said...

This is a very interesting thesis. I get a lot of good thesis ideas online and I found this one very well-thought of. I was hesitant to make my thesis on Asian folk art in a historical as well as cultural standpoint but I might reconsider it this time.