Architectural researchers often encounter
unforeseeable issues while working in archives or fields. How might they
make these issues into the very stuff of the histories and theories
they produce? The symposium explores this question through specific
reflections and insights from Turkey, a context that over the past few
decades has seen the sort of social and political fluctuations that
amplify the unpredictability of fieldwork and archival work. It consists
of a series of invited papers that discuss the following:
While discussions on the above-mentioned topics are prevalent across various other disciplines – such as anthropology, geography, and archaeology – architectural history and theory tend to gloss over them. This symposium, therefore, aims to create a platform for the exchange of scholarly tactics and strategies that help work through challenges of architectural research generally.
A nuanced awareness of the challenges faced during spatially oriented archival research or fieldwork in an increasingly socially and politically volatile global context, we hope, will benefit not just those interested in the architecture of Turkey – or indeed in architectural history and theory per se – but also those operating in other settings or spatial disciplines marked by challenges to public space and critical thought.
Open to: