Shaping the symbolic landscape : public monuments in Nairobi, 1899-1992

Abstract

Geography is centrally concerned with the landscape. Landscape, in this thesis, is viewed and analysed as a cultural product, shaped by human processes and ideologies. Informed, primarily, by the cultural-historical geographical approach to landscape, this study applies iconographic theory to the interpretation of the layered meanings and symbolisms of the landscape. Iconography as an interpretative technique was developed in Western scholarship and geographical studies have tended to employ it in a Western context. The examination of public monuments in Nairobi, Kenya, addresses this gap in the literature. In addition, it illustrates the validity of employing iconography in the interpretation of the landscape in an East African context, and highlights the need to make the relationship between Western and non-Western scholarship more fluid.