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History of Art and Architecture: Special Topics - Marxist Architectural Histories
Last Updated: 2026-02-05 16:23:19
Abstract
Marxist Architectural HistoriesHow do we write history? Just as Marxism posed the most profound challenge to politics in the 20th century, it also confronted the way history could be told. We will uncover the origins of Marxist architectural history and the heated debates which surrounded its authors.
Objective
- To give an account of a number of different approaches to Marxist architectural history. - To understand some of the debates surrounding Marxist histories of art and architecture. - To develop one’s own critical position towards architectural history.
Content
Marxist Architectural Histories How do we write history? Just as Marxism posed the most profound challenge to politics in the 20th century, it also confronted the way history could be told. We will uncover the origins of Marxist architectural history and the heated debates which surrounded its authors. We will look at the texts of Marxists, of those against Marxism and of those who while not Marxist were nevertheless part of a general adoption of Marxist ideas within art and architectural history. Frederick Antal wrote “Methods of art history, just as pictures, can be dated.” And many of these texts are clearly historically contingent. Antal himself was a revolutionary, becoming an official in Béla Kun’s short lived Hungarian Soviet Republic and his colleague the British art historian Anthony Blunt, was a Communist spy. In contrast, the conservative scholar Ernst Gombrich who opposed Marxist history, was closely aligned with neoliberal philosophy and economics. It was in history where their political positions played out. Participants will be encouraged to think through these debates and to question these positions with current ideas on race, gender and other forms of critical discourse. A reflexive need to critique historical writing is perhaps the most enduring legacy of Marxism’s entrance into architectural history. For any questions regarding the course please contact Matthew Critchley: [email protected]
General Information
- Language
- English
- Levels
- BSC
- Frequency
- Semesterly recurring
Examination
- Type
- ungraded semester performance
Course Components
| Type | Title | Time & Place | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| lecture with exercise |
History of Art and Architecture: Special Topics - Marxist Architectural Histories
No course 24.3. (seminar week) and in the last two semester weeks (s. room reservations!).
|
|
2 h weekly |