Focus Work Fall Semester 2021
Doing Gender is what Harold Garfinkel called the everyday practice of determining the gender of those who act. Doing Gender does not function without places in analogue and digital space, in literature, in science, technology or history. Doing Gender makes architecture and shapes architectural heritage.
There are spaces in the city and countryside that are open to only one of the genders. We will explore how these spaces are organised and how gender exclusivity is represented. Furthermore, the context and history of these buildings and spaces will be under investigation. Are they commemoration of gender exclusivity, or even listed monuments, i.e. places or objects worthy of protection because of their cultural significance, and their historical use? What statements do they make about a particular social class, about individuals or entities? What is their craftsmanship or artistic quality, or their position within a settlement or in the landscape? Or are they Future Monuments that belong on the list of buildings worth protecting? A goal of the in-depth work can be to work out categories for Fe*Male Monuments.
The in-depth work also offers the opportunity to explore previously overlooked typologies such as prisons, schools, sacral buildings (synagogue, mosque, and church), public pools, and many others, developing and applying gender-specific categories. It is particularly suitable for description, analysis, and method development, and for writing expert opinions on historic preservation.