Black Turtleneck, Round Glasses
by Karin Hartmann
“According to a recent American study, sexism and racism are so widespread in architecture that there is a distaste for these topics within the branch itself. What are the reasons for this exclusionary working culture? Even in Germany, most architecture graduates since the turn of the millennium have been female―but a large number of conventions and assumptions within the discipline make it difficult for women to remain in the profession. As a result, a great deal of highly trained talent is lost. Black Turtleneck, Round Glasses uses an intersectional feminist perspective to examine the structural causes that push women―and anyone else who isn’t a white cis man―out of the field. How can architectural teaching and discourse, as well as the industry’s self-image, become more diverse? Where are the experiences of a pluralistic society missing from the built environment? How can we bring about cultural change in planning and architecture?
Featuring an interview with the Dutch architect Afaina de Jong”
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What we like about it:
The first thing I thought when I read this book for the first time was: Finally someone is addressing what so many people have been thinking. The title alone is so brilliantly chosen and addresses a cliché that unfortunately isn't one, i.e. often still the reality in the architecture sector: Self-important white men who think they know it all. This book addresses the situation of women in the profession and manages in an entertaining but at the same time scientifically profound way to point out the problems of this male-dominated industry while at the same time giving good examples of how it can work differently.
A very encouraging and inspiring book that makes you want to be an active part of the change. I read it in one day.