XClose

The Bartlett School of Architecture

Home
Menu

Postcolonial History of Architecture and Urbanism

16 November 2012

An innovative new book has just been written by Kemas Ridwan Kurniawan, based on his PhD thesis at the Bartlett School of Architecture. 

Published by VDM Verlag Dr. Müller, Ridwan's Postcolonial History of Architecture and Urbanism: Power and Space of Indonesian Tin Mining in Bangka Island extends Indonesian colonial and postcolonial studies outside of Java, and explores the relationship between Indonesian tin mining activities and their historical representation in architecture and urbanism. Ridwan investigates the operation of power in the construction of identity, creating a detailed and innovative history of architecture and urban history of Bangka tin-mining, particularly with regard to socio-political phenomena. His book is the first comprehensive study of Indonesian regional architecture and urbanism to deal with such a topic.

Postcolonial History of Architecture and Urbanism is based on Ridwan's PhD thesis at the Bartlett School of Architecture, submitted in 2005 and supervised by Professor Iain Borden, who also provides a foreword to the new book. Ridwan is Head of the Architecture Department at the University of Indonesia.