Chapter Ethel Madison Bailey Furman : IN Book: Routledge Critical Companion to Race and Architecture

Abstract

This book explores the malleability of race as a construct, one subject to continuous redefinitions in different times, cultures and places. While race has been deployed historically to establish hierarchies in a modern-colonial world, it also has acquired the capacity to challenge those hierarchies, enabling critical engagements with epistemic positions that have been excluded from univocal Eurocentric architectural narratives. The volume expands the discourse on racializing concepts and categories beyond the traditional Africa–North America axis, examining many issues that have been overlooked in the field of architecture. This broader range of topics provides for a more comprehensive understanding of how race is constructed and represented in architectural theory and practice globally. Written by an international and influential cast of contributors, the structure of the book permits a detailed revision of the most current theoretical debates on race. Each part deals with a specific challenge at a particular scale. Ultimately, the book embraces discussions about theory, urban and regional debates, architectural design at the scale of the building, history and education, exploring the concept of race in all aspects of the discipline. It is essential reading for anyone studying or working in the built environment.