Built Narratives. International Organizations, Media, and the Architecture of Development

Seminar History and Theory of Architecture (052-0852-24)

Time & Location

Thursdays 11:45-​13:30, HIT J 53.

Jamaica - Self-Help Homes
“Jamaica – Self-Help Homes (French Audio)”, video produced by the Film Department of the Agency for Public Information in Jamaica for the 1976 United Nations Habitat Conference in Vancouver. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g7MD0-iBdpw

International organizations, such as the United Nations, UNESCO or the World Health Organization, have played a significant role in shaping the built environment, discourses surrounding architecture and urban planning, and the education and professional practice of architects and planners, particularly in so-called “developing countries,” where these organizations have aimed to provide various forms of assistance.

In this seminar, we will examine the impact of a select group of international organizations in conjunction with the utilization (and at times, voluntarily or involuntarily mis-use) of media of development. This includes official declarations, reports, correspondence, diagrams, manuals, exhibitions, and model houses, with the latter two being conveyed through documentary photographs, films, and publications. As they travel between the organizations’ headquarters and the sites of their “missions,” they undergo reinterpretation and recontextualization, becoming intertwined with the intricate reality of development on the site.

A central question revolves around the audience:

  • Reports, often written in a dry language — Who actually reads them?
  • Model Houses — Who visits them? The target group or rather development actors, experts, and journalists?
  • Films shown at international conferences — Who do they aim to educate?

The seminar aims to investigate the process of creating and questioning knowledge related to development within international organizations and their utilization of media. This exploration will unveil various strategies employed by these organizations to orient both individuals and authorities towards the project of development, subject to varying interpretations.

Structure of the Course

During the seminar, students will explore a specific historical document as a medium of development. The process of crafting the final paper begins with a concise presentation outlining the content and context of the chosen historical document (from a pre-selected list). This will be followed by a discussion highlighting its compelling and/or critical aspects. The subsequent step involves creating a draft introduction, aiming to clarify and test the research question, to be discussed in class as a mid-term assignment.

The final paper will comprise the refined introduction, a comprehensive analysis in the main body—utilizing a chosen medium as an analytical tool—and a conclusion. The incorporation of the “medium as an analytical tool” is designed to assist in analysing the historical document beyond the text itself. This could manifest in various forms, such as word frequency diagrams, annotated manual pages, drawings reconstructing exhibitions, or collages of film stills illustrating model usage or architectural depictions in films.
The seminar revolves around five key topics, each representing central media in development:

  1. Reports and Bulletins
  2. Manuals and Model Houses
  3. Exhibitions and Films
  4. Correspondence
  5. Headquarters

The first three topics combine discussions of current research with the examination of historical sources. The sessions commence with a discussion of brief texts by architectural historians, to be followed by student presentations on historical documents we will scrutinise in detail.

The fourth topic involves an archival session based on correspondence from the International Council of Scientific Unions Archives. In groups, students will practice approaching archival sources, particularly letters. This session offers an opportunity to reflect on the role of archives in navigating international organizations and their use of media.

Our exploration extends beyond the conventional notion of media in development to encompass the tangible manifestations of these international organizations, with a specific focus on Switzerland. Geneva, being a central hub for numerous international organizations, serves as the nexus where both media and representative architecture intersect. An excursion to Geneva will allow us to critically analyse the headquarters of international organizations as embodiments of internationalism, and to investigate the relationship between these architectural representations and the architectural principles promoted by the international organizations in their development projects.

The course concludes with a scientific writing workshop aimed at refining the final papers. The last session is dedicated to presenting a part of the final assignment.

Semester Overview

  1. 22.02.2024 | Course Introduction
  2. 29.02.2024 | Introductory Readings on Development Politics and Media of Development
  3. 07.03.2024 | Topic 1 – Reports and Bulletins
  4. 14.03.2024 | Topic 2 – Manuals and Model Houses
  5. 28.03.2024 | Topic 3 – Exhibitions and Films
  6. 11.04.2024 | Mid-term Draft Discussion
  7. 18.04.2024 | Topic 4 / Archival Session – Correspondence
  8. week of 22. to 26.04.2024 | Topic 5 / Excursion to Geneva – Headquarters
  9. 02.05.2024 | Scientific Writing Workshop
  10. 16.05.2024 | Final Presentations