Ian Caistor-Parker

Historian of Kenya | Specialist in Colonial Punishment & Penal History

Research Overview

I am a historian researching Kenya with a primary focus on punishment and incarceration. My doctoral research, funded by the Economic and Social Science Research Council (ESRC), provides a history of the Kenyan Prison Service c.1950–1983.

Supervised by Professor David AndersonLink opens in a new window and Professor Clare Anderson (Leicester), my thesis examines the Kenya Prison Service as an institution, comprising prisoners, warders, and official discourse. My work centres on the themes of violence and reform - unequal but ever-present shaping forces in Kenya's colonial and post-colonial carceral landscape. This research has led to related articles on the workings of the Colonial Office's Treatment of Offenders Committee and on Kenya's previously unconsidered pre-Mau Mau detention camp system.

I have a secondary research interest in contemporary Kenyan discussions about Human/Ancestral Remains, their relationship to UK museum holdings, and the navigation of contested colonial histories. I am currently preparing research on this topic for publication.

Education

PhD, History | University of Warwick.
MSc, African Studies (Distinction) | University of Oxford
- Generously funded by an ORISHA scholarship.
BA, History and Politics (First-Class Honours) | University of Warwick.

Publications

Journal Articles

Caistor-Parker, I. (2026). "The deeper history of detention in Kenya: the rise of a parallel prison system, c.1923–1952." Journal of Eastern African Studies. DOI: 10.1080/17531055.2026.2613471.
Caistor-Parker, I. (2025). "Penal Policy-Making and British Imperialism: The Colonial Office and Kenya, c. 1930–52." Journal of Social History. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/jsh/shaf099Link opens in a new window.

Book Chapters

Caistor-Parker, I., Hynd, S., & Jackson, A. (2025). "Critical Historical Criminologies and the Study of Crime and Punishment in Empire." In P. Bleakely & A. Tepperman (Eds.), Memory as Power: Historical Criminology and the Role of the Past in Critical Scholarship.

Professional Activity & Engagement

Conference Convener (2026): Convener of the stream 'Architecture and Afterlives of Colonial Violence' for the African Studies Association of the UK (ASAUK) 2026 conference.
Visiting Researcher (2025): ESRC-funded academic visitor at Stellenbosch University, South Africa (3 months).
Internship: Research Analyst (Africa) at the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO).
Peer Review: Reviewer for Critical Historical Criminology.
Consultancy: Private consultant on historical and contemporary issues related to Kenya.