Our conference will explore the intricate linkages between society, gender and space from a decidedly feminist perspective. In so doing, it seeks to emphasize both the productivity of women across all architectural and planning dimensions, as well as art historical discourses regarding the gendered perception and use of space.
Notwithstanding decades of feminist research, monographs and exhibitions on women architects, and reference to gender issues in the history of architecture and art, there still remains a lack of mainstream visibility. A further issue to be addressed is what constitutes feminist or gender-sensitive architecture. How can “gendered spaces” be defined, who declares them as such, what role do social constructions, cultural or ethnic differences play? What approaches did women architects and planners of the 19th and 20th centuries pursue and what theoretical discourses were conducted by them or about them? Where did their contributions already become canonical and why? Who is doing research on “gendered spaces” and how is this research anchored in universities?