Study Architecture 
ProPEL 
Author(s): Alex Webb
The question of how we integrate marginalized voices into architectural theory courses is a difficult one. Introducing marginalized voices as such might expose students to these authors and designers, but entrenches them as non-canon and reinforces the dichotomy of us versus the other. Many who teach these courses have attempted to introduce alternative theoretical frameworks, but it is easy for these frameworks to remain in the realm of the alternative rather than on equal footing as the more traditional sources of thought. This paper describes an approach to teaching architectural theory that attempts to deconstruct the canon / non-canon dynamic by introducing theory as an extension of ontology. The focus upon ontology goes beyond a tokenized offering of marginalized voices, and leads to a productive synthesis of the traditionally accepted and the marginalized. Lucy Suchman’s analysis of Trukese navigation relative to European navigation and Brian Eno’s description of Ghanaian music both support Mario Carpo’s offering of the Alberti Paradigm; android Bina48’s discussion of perspective eerily reflects René Descartes writings on intuition, and both support Bruno Latour’s assessment of modern ontology. By returning to fundamental discussions of the nature of existence, students are positioned to be exposed to many thinkers as simply one voice, without the bias of their establishment within canon. The focus on ontology allows students to identify their own areas of interest, productive overlaps between a wide range of thinkers. These thought leaders are presented on their own merits, without the bias of their inclusion of canon. Though this approach likely does not eliminate notions of the other entirely, it is offered as a productive step towards such a goal.
https://doi.org/10.35483/ACSA.AM.113.53
Volume Editors
Sara Jensen Carr & Rubén García Rubio
ISBN
978-1-944214-48-7
