Nokubekezela Mchunu

PhD thesis: Steeped in Influence: British Tea and the Propagation of Black Spatial Cultures in Early Twentieth Century South Africa

Research interests:

1. African spatial culture
2. Inclusive and ethical methods for sourcing and analysing global histories
3. Democratic public spaces

Today, tea is a ubiquitous and seemingly unremarkable product found in the average home. However, it provides a compelling spatial case study of how consumer goods have been used to project an illusion of a flattened social hierarchy while influencing cultural expressions in early modern homes.

Britain's acquisition, expansion, and dominance of the international tea trade shows how imperial authority was used to create monopolies and trade loops through economic control and racial politics. British tea culture was employed as a soft-power technique in colonies like South Africa to shape post-independence identities by embedding symbols of British tea culture into daily life. This thesis aims to answer the question: How has tea, as a colonial commodity, shaped domestic habits, architecture and lifestyles to reinforce colonial economic and cultural influence?

This multi-disciplinary study begins by tracing tea's spatial history from its roots in the East to its incorporation into British culture and spread across former colonies, focussing on South Africa. This study examines South Africa's independence, domestic modernity in the first half of the 20th century which collectively provide a framework for reflecting on the enduring economic legacies of colonial rule.

Who or what inspired you to pursue your research interests?

I was born in apartheid South Africa when spatial injustice was deeply embedded in national policies, and its enduring legacy remains long after the regime change. My educational and professional background has involved addressing this matter through case analyses, restorative conceptual work and corrective action.

I aspire to advance the discipline in both my country and the wider continent by developing and incorporating inter-disciplinary methods into the production and documentation of architecture and architectural history.