The architecture of settler colonialism: Stephen Travers, Home on Native Land: Decolonizing Architectural Education Through Indigenous Collaboration, MA dissertation, Carleton University, 2025 | settler colonial studies blog

The architecture of settler colonialism: Stephen Travers, Home on Native Land: Decolonizing Architectural Education Through Indigenous Collaboration, MA dissertation, Carleton University, 2025

05Aug25

Abstract: My thesis examines identity and architecture through my lens as an aspiring Canadian architect who uncovers my ancestral history of colonization as original settlers in Gespe’gewa’gi in 1785. After discovering my family’s role in colonizing the coast of Mawipoqtapei, I question my own future practice as an architect in the continued colonization of Native Land. I also critique architecture’s failure to honour Indigenous sovereignty through meaningful collaboration in the design process. Through Critical Regionalism, Indigenous knowledge systems, and case studies of architects engaging with colonial histories, I search for a path toward decolonization in architecture. By challenging research practices and settler-controlled design processes, this thesis argues that reconciliation in architecture requires fundamental restructuring to ensure that Indigenous voices lead the transformation of the built environment.

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