Front right, Professor Magda Minguzzi and Dr David Morocho Jaramillo together with Rhodes University’s History Department
Dr Janeke Thumbran from Rhodes University’s History Department invited Prof Minguzzi as leader of the Indigenous Knowledge Systems of the Built Environment Unit-IKSBEU and Dr Morocho Jaramillo, Postdoctoral Fellow at the School of Architecture and IKSBEU researcher.
Prof Minguzzi contributed to the history course and together with Dr Morocho Jaramillo to their postgraduate and staff seminar series.
During these engagements, they shared their ongoing research on Indigenous Architecture, focusing on the methodologies developed and applied in documenting, studying, and engaging with Indigenous Knowledge Systems of the built environment.
These presentations generated stimulating discussions on heritage, cultural knowledge, research methodologies, and the challenges that the Indigenous People are still facing.
The sharing of ideas highlighted the growing interest in Indigenous Knowledge Systems and the important role they play in advancing more inclusive, contextually relevant, and socially responsive approaches to research and teaching, Prof Minguzzi said.
The visit also created a valuable multidisciplinary exchange between architecture, history, heritage and Indigenous Knowledge Systems, and offered a comparative perspective based on research methodologies developed in South Africa and Ecuador.
It also strengthened academic ties between IKSBEU at Nelson Mandela University and Rhodes University and opened opportunities for future collaboration in research and teaching.