Faith
Mbakadi
Sponsor: Christina Cogdell, Ph.D. Department Of Design This project explores how locally sourced materials for furniture design can be dovetailed into ecological restoration. It draws inspiration from current theories regarding ways design can approach environmental challenges, including place-based and circular design. Place-based design often involves observation of local urban or exurban ecosystems as well as waste management and restoration practices. Circular design takes into consideration the entire lifecycle of a product. My project incorporates some of these practices including literature review, observational research, and interviews. It explores the question, how can community-based production alleviate environmental impacts of design while simultaneously fostering community resilience? The project primarily utilizes the invasive species, Arundo Donax, which is known to disrupt wetland ecosystems. It is an issue all over California's Central Valley and is rampant along Yolo County's riparian or agricultural zones. By speaking with local organizations and doing field research, I observed, photographed, and mapped several locations with Arundo Donax invasions. Through hands-on experimentation with the material, I am creating a series of material samples and prototypes. The creation process fosters a deeper understanding of the plant's physical properties. Experimentation includes a variety of techniques including typical woodworking joinery, weaving, parquetry, lamination, steam bending, creation of composite boards, and casting. Beyond the Box: Embracing the Complexity of Black Identity at UC Davis
Abstract profile. Full document pending author claim.
Authors:
Faith Mbakadi
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About Paper:
As a Congolese immigrant navigating life in the United States, I have encountered an unfamiliar and reductive racial identity that collapses my multifaceted background into the singular label of "Black." At institutions like UC Davis, acculturation and assimilation demand the stripping of individuality to fit rigid academic and social frameworks. Discipline and Punish (1975) and The Order of Discourse(1971) by Michel Foucault illuminate how institutions wield power through discourse to regulate knowledge and reinforce exclusionary practices. Mahmood Mamdani's concept of decentralized despotism from Citizen and Subject (1996) further contextualizes how institutions create hierarchical identities, where African and African Diaspora students are classified into rigid categories that deny historical and cultural nuance. This research examines how African American and African Diaspora students at UC Davis navigate identity within institutional constraints, drawing on Patricia Hill Collins' "outsider within"(1986), Frantz Fanon's critiques of racialization, Pierre Bourdieu's concept of habitus, and Mamdani's framework of institutional control. Utilizing a partial autoethnographic methodology, I integrate personal narratives with participant observation and interviews with African immigrants, first- generation Africans, and African American students. By amplifying voices that challenge institutional narratives, this study advocates for a more nuanced understanding of Black identity within higher education. Threads of Change: A Donation Project Emily-Mae McConihe
Source:
UC Davis / Anthropology / 2025
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Faith Mbakadi