About me
I am currently an Associate Professor in Human Geography at University College Roosevelt where I have worked since 2004 when the university first opened its doors. I earned my Ph.D. in Human Geography at University of Cambridge in the U.K. Before training as a human geographer, I worked in the field of international development and as a professional architect in Germany, Namibia and the United States. My area of expertise relates to urban and architectural issues in the Global South and spans the following fields: Urban Geography, Development Studies and Environmental Geography. My regional area of expertise is southern Africa, with special emphasis on Namibia and South Africa. I have twenty-five years of experience working and researching in Namibia.
Education
- 2004 Ph.D. in Geography, University of Cambridge, UK
- 1999 M.Sc. in Building and Urban Design in Development, University College London, UK
- 1993 Diplom-Ingenieur der Architektur, Fachhochschule Aachen, Germany
- 1984-1986 Geography, Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Universität Aachen, Germany
Professional appointments
- 2008-present Associate Professor in Human Geography, Dept. of Social Science, University College Roosevelt, the Netherlands
- 2004-2008 Assistant Professor in Human Geography, Dept. of Social Science, University College Roosevelt, the Netherlands
- 2004 Lecturer (part-time), University College London, UK
- 2001-2003 Supervisor (part-time), Department of Geography, University of Cambridge, UK
- 1998 Architect, Harlan Hoffman Architects, San Francisco, USA
- 1996-1997 Planning Consultant, International Co-operation for Development, Caprivi Region, Namibia
- 1995-1996 Architect, Kerry McNamara Architects, Windhoek, Namibia
- 1993-1995 Architect / Site Manager, PLANOVA Industrie-, Wohn- und Städtebau, Aachen, Germany
Field research
- July 2000-September 2001, Kaokoland (Kunene Region), Namibia
- June-July 1999, Windhoek, Namibia
- February 1996-April 1997, Caprivi Region, Namibia
Publications
Books
- Mueller-Friedman, F. (and J. Friedman) (eds.) (Forthcoming). Debating Development: Controversies in the Theory and Practice of International Development, Harlow, London and New York: Pearson-Prentice Hall.
Articles and book chapters
- Müller-Friedman, Fatima and J. Friedman (2023). ‘Modernism on the Margins: A Genealogy of Namibia’s (Post-)Apartheid Spaces’, Environment and Planning C: Politics and Space, Vol. 41, No. 4: 735-751.
- Mueller-Friedman, Fatima and J. Friedman (2013). ‘San’, in S. Danver (ed.), Native Peoples of the World: An Encyclopedia, Armonk, NY: M.E. Sharpe.
- Mueller-Friedman, F. (2012). ‘Urbanization’, in E. Ramsamy, A. Stanton, P. Seybolt and C. Elliott (eds.), Cultural Sociology of the Middle East, Asia, and Africa, London: Sage.
- Mueller-Friedman, F. (2010). ‘Namibia’, in World Geography: Understanding a Changing World, Santa Barbara, California: ABC-Clio.
- Mueller-Friedman, F. (2010). ‘Learning from Lagos: Africa’s Megacities work’, in A. Andrea (ed.), World History Encyclopedia, Santa Barbara, California: ABC-CLIO.
- Mueller-Friedman, F. (2008). “Toward a (Post)apartheid Architecture? A View from Namibia”, Planning Perspectives, Vol. 23, No. 1, pp. 29-48.
- Mueller-Friedman, F. (2007). ‘Of Boers and Plaasjapies: “Resistance”, Know-how and the Urban Imagination in Northwest Namibia’, South African Geographical Journal, Vol. 89, No. 2, pp. 151-160.
- Mueller-Friedman, F. (2006). ‘Beyond the Post-Apartheid City: De/Segregation and Suburbanization in Windhoek, Namibia’, African Geographical Review, Vol. 26, pp. 33-61.
- Mueller-Friedman, F. (2005). ‘”Just Build it Modern”: Post-Apartheid Spaces on Namibia’s Urban Frontier’, in S. Salm and T. Falola (eds.), African Urban Spaces in Historical Perspectives, Rochester, NY: University of Rochester Press.
- Mueller-Friedman, F. (2000). ‘Deconstructing Windhoek: The Urban Morphology of a Post-Apartheid City’, Working Paper No. 111, Development Planning Unit, University College London.
Professional affiliations
- Association of American Geographers