Tasoulla Hadjiyanni
I am an Assistant Professor
in Interior Design, holding a Bachelor of Architecture and a Master
of Science in Urban Development and Management from Carnegie Mellon
University and a Ph.D. in Housing Studies from the University of
Minnesota.
As a refugee
and an immigrant to the US, I focus my scholarship on exploring
the dynamic among design, culture, and identity under conditions
of displacement. The well-being of children, youth, and
families has been at the center of my research, teaching, and outreach
agendas since my doctoral work, which culminated in the book “The
making of a refugee
– Children adopting refugee identity in Cyprus.” Published by Praeger in 2002, the book
theorizes that being a refugee is not a title one is given upon displacement
but an identity in becoming, an identity that is largely informed by the disparity
between the housing the refugees lost and the public housing they found themselves
living in, housing which did not support their culture and way of life, exacerbating
their stress.
My on-going
cross-cultural study of differences in housing needs continues
my explorations of how residential environments impact the lives
of children, youth, and families. Through
in-home interviews with five new immigrant/minority groups living
in Minnesota (Hmong, Somali, Mexicans, Ojibwe, and African-Americans),
the study asks: “What makes people different from
each other?”,
“How does the built environment relate to difference?”,
and “What are the implications of this relationship for how notions like
culture, identity, space, gender, and home are constructed?” The study’s theoretical and practical
implications have grounded my expertise on culturally sensitive housing, that
is, housing that meets diverse needs and supports various ways of living.
I have published
in interdisciplinary journals, ranging from the Journal of Interior Design to Design
Studies and anthropology-based Home
Cultures. I also
regularly attend and present my research findings at the annual
conferences of organizations like the Environmental Design Research
Association (EDRA), the Interior Design Educators Council (IDEC),
and the American Anthropological Association (AAA). At
EDRA I also serve as the Chair of the Residential Environments
Network.
The recipient
of the 2009 College of Design’s Outstanding Teaching Award,
my students use my findings to develop culturally sensitive housing
proposals, which are then exhibited yearly as part of the Building
Ties exhibit at the Hennepin History Museum. The exhibit complements my outreach efforts, in the form of
presentations and workshops in the community, which aim to raise
awareness among design practitioners, affordable housing providers,
and policy makers of the potential tied to culturally sensitive
housing.
As my academic
career is devoted to bringing social justice and cultural sustainability
to the forefront of the national and global agendas, becoming a
CYFC Fellow is a bold step in that direction. My
long-term vision is designs and policies that include what I call
a ‘social justice’ code-check, ensuring that all buildings
(from homes to airports, schools, and hospitals) support the needs
of everyone—in terms of gender, religious beliefs, cultural
traditions, and abilities. Contributing the design perspective to
CYFC discourses, I hope to help translate interdisciplinary understandings
of what influences the well-being of children, youth, and families
into physical manifestations that nurture a sense of belonging.
