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Sessions on Territory
Last Updated: 2026-06-03 00:13:59
Abstract
This series explores conservation as process, ideology, and a field of practice shaped by—and shaping—territory, capital, and politics. Rather than treating conservation as a neutral endeavor, the series foregrounds its contradictions, contested objectives, and material consequences across different socio-spatial contexts—from Berlin over Zurich to Nairobi.
Objective
SESSIONS ON TERRITORY is a series of public debates exploring the intersection of architecture, territory, and political economy. Through dialogue with invited speakers and researchers examining spatial practices, the program aims to define the enduring contributions architecture can make to the public.
Content
SESSIONS ON TERRITORY is a series of public debates on the political economy and ecologies of urban space, landscape and territory, curated collaboratively with the Doctoral School of the Institute of Landscape and Urban Studies This series explores conservation as process, ideology, and a field of practice shaped by—and shaping—territory, capital, and politics. Rather than treating conservation as a neutral endeavor, the series foregrounds its contradictions, contested objectives, and material consequences across different socio-spatial contexts—from Berlin, Athens, and Zurich to Nairobi. It brings together diverse voices capturing multiplicities of conservation, and thinks through its practices collectively. The program contributes to conservation discourse and practices by reframing conservation as a social practice of repair—one that is historically grounded, politically engaged, and responsive to specific territorial conditions. Each session features a guest speaker and a discussion with invited respondents and the audience. 02.03. Conservation as Restitution Alice Hertzog Ethnographic Museum, UZH in conversation with Denise Bertschi 30.03. The Personhood of Nature Marina Lostal Essex Law School in conversation with Nancy Couling 13.04. Decolonising Nature Conservation Mordecai Ogada Author of Green and Evil in conversation with Tobias Haller 27.04. Conservation as Social Transformation Daniel Hilfiker (Raumbörse) and Anastasia Dourida (Communitism) 11.05. Architecture, Identity, and State-Making Philipp Oswalt University of Kassel in conversation with Susanne Hefti
Resources
Literature
References ARCH+. 2023. "The Great Repair: Politics for a Society of Repair." Special issue, ARCH+ 249. Bertling, Jürgen, and Claus Leggewie. 2016. "Die Reparaturgesellschaft. Ein Beitrag Zur Großen Transformation?" In Die Welt Reparieren, edited by Andrea Baier, Tom Hansing, Christa Müller, and Karin Werner. Transcript Verlag. https://doi.org/10.1515/9783839433775-025 . Hall, Stuart. 2023. "Whose Heritage? Un-Settling 'The Heritage', Re-Imagining the Post-Nation." In Whose Heritage? Routledge. Link . Hertzog, Alice, and Enibokun Uzebu-Imarhiagbe. 2022. "The Paperless Archive. Recasting Benin Collections as a Displaced Archive." In Thinking about the Archive & Provenance Research, edited by Carl Deußen and Yagmur Karakis. Boasblog Papers 4. Boas blogs. https://kups.ub.uni-koeln.de/64500/1/Boasblogs_four-1.pdf . Jacobs, Justin M. 2024. Plunder?: How Museums Got Their Treasures. Reaktion Books. Kaika, Maria, Yannis Tzaninis, Tait Mandler, and Roger Keil. 2023. Turning up the Heat: Urban Political Ecology for a Climate Emergency. 1–400. Laxness, Stefan. 2025. "The Politics of Interdependence in Community-Led Landscape Restoration." Landscape Research 50(8): 1272–86. https://doi.org/10.1080/01426397.2025.2516812 . Mbaria, John, and Mordecai Ogada. 2016. The Big Conservation Lie: The Untold Story of Wildlife Conservation in Kenya. Lens & Pens Publishing. Neumann, Roderick P. 2001. "Africa’s 'Last Wilderness': Reordering Space for Political and Economic Control in Colonial Tanzania." Africa: Journal of the International African Institute 71(4): 641–65. https://doi.org/10.2307/1161583 . Nyagwalla, Joan Otieno, Vittorio Bellotto, Lawrence Salaon Esho, and Pieter Van den Broeck. 2023. "Conserving the Sacred: Socially Innovative Efforts in the Loita Enaimina Enkiyio Forest in Kenya." Land 12(9): 1706. https://doi.org/10.3390/land12091706 . Oswalt, Philipp, with Max Czollek. 2023. Bauen am nationalen Haus: Architektur als Identitätspolitik. Berenberg. Rassool, Ciraj, and Victoria E. Gibbon. 2024. "Restitution versus Repatriation: Terminology and Concepts Matter." American Journal of Biological Anthropology 184(1): e24889. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajpa.24889 . Sène, Aby L. 2024. "Imperialism Is the Arsonist of Our Forests." The Republic, February 27. https://rpublc.com/february-march-2024/african-climate-justice-agenda/ .
Learning Materials (Links)
- Main link
- Information
General Information
- Language
- English
- Levels
- NDS , BSC , DR
- Frequency
- Yearly recurring
Examination
- Type
- ungraded semester performance
Course Components
| Type | Title | Time & Place | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| lecture with exercise |
Sessions on Territory
No course 16.3.2026 (seminar week) and in the last two weeks of the semester.
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15 h semesterly |
Offered In
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Doctorate Architecture (More Information at: )
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MAS in Urban and Territorial Design (The MAS in Urban and Territorial Design requires one year of full-time postgraduate study for a 60 ECTS joint degree, the “MAS ETH EPF UTD”. It is taught in English and held at the two Swiss schools, EPFL (Autumn) and ETH Zurich (Spring).)