Doctor of Arts in Leadership
Student Research Projects
Architectural Activism: A Catalyst for Social Transformation in the Mountain Regions of Pakistan
Liaquat Khan
Currently, the global war against terrorism has zeroed in on the mountain regions of Pakistan. Vulnerable communities are exploited by some political and religious institutions, which breed intolerances towards diversity in general and varied ideologies in particular. Furthermore, the chronic scarcity of contemporary educational infrastructure gravely hampers their capacity building to improve their social capital and well-being. An effective solution to their exploitations and marginalization is to enable communities to improve their literacy rate and social capital through educational infrastucture.
This study examines how architectural activism, with a premise of humanitarian assistance and participatory action research, might be an effectual catalyst for social transformation. And if so, how is the educational and social infrastructure built by the architectural activism of Greg Mortenson affecting the communities in the remote mountain regions of Pakistan?
This research will examine the state of the mountain communities in Pakistan and is conducted recognizing the intellectual context of the works of August Comte, Paolo Freire, Michel Foucault, and Kai Erikson.
The student plans to complete the project by the end of 2011.
