"I cannot, in whole conscience, recommend architecture as a profession for girls. I
know some women who have done well at it, but the obstacles are so great that it
takes an exceptional girl to make a go of it. If she insisted on becoming an architect, I
would try to dissuade her. If then, she was still determined, I would give her my
blessing–she could be that exceptional one."
Pietro Belluschi, FAIA, “Should You Be an Architect?” (1955)
Course Description: It is no secret that, despite all efforts at equal representation, architecture is still a predominantly male field: although, as of 2016, 58% of architecture students at German universities were women, they only represent 35% of workers in architectural firms and none of the top twenty firms in Germany are managed solely by a woman. Full time female architects continue to earn much less, about 30% less than their male counterparts. The situation in academia is even more grim: Only 5% of professorships are held by women in architectural schools. What can we do to change this predicament? Generations of feminist scholars and architectural historians have struggled to find answers to these and similar questions. In this seminar, we will review their legacy, examining both the complicated histories of women’s relationship with architecture and feminist scholarship that inspired and led their struggle for equality. We will study the legacy of feminist theory in architectural history through the framework of feminism’s four “waves,” which have influenced and shaped each other historically, intellectually, and politically. Taking this historic structure as a point of departure, we will focus on how feminist scholars addressed issues such as the gendered use and construction of space, the status of women within the architectural profession, and the entanglement of gender with other forms of marginalization (such as ethnicity, nationality, sexuality, and class) in architecture.
Each class meeting will pair one work of feminist theory (Wollstonecraft, Beauvoir, Lorde, Butler, and more) with a scholarly work that takes up feminist theoretical frameworks within the scope of art and architectural history (Nochlin, Stratigakos, Hayden, Akcan, and more).
Prüfungsleistung: Grades will be based on pre-work before class and active participation in class discussions. Students (either individually or in groups) will be expected to organize and lead one discussion session during the semester.