ARCH 312
Critical Postcolonial and Contemporary Perspectives in South Asian Architecture (3) This course will examine critical postcolonial and contemporary architectural issues in South Asia in the context of cultural globalization today.
ARCH 312 Critical Postcolonial and Contemporary Perspectives in South Asian Architecture (3)
This course will examine the evolution of the cultures and architectures of South Asia through their encounters with colonialism and the postcolonial analysis of architectural development in the region. It will provide an introduction to precolonial architecture and urbanism in South Asia using methodologies of cultural studies via an examination of Buddhist, Hindu, Islamic (Mughal), and Western influences. The course will introduce students to the significant variety of South Asia's architectural accomplishments and encourage them to discuss broader theoretical issues in the context of cultural globalization and their implications for contemporary architectural thought and practice. References to indigenous architecture and techniques will be an integral part of the course, as will be examples of colonial architecture, especially the works of Edwin Lutyens. In the context of globalization during the post-colonial period, three important planning and building design projects undertaken by Western architects in South Asia will become the means to segue into contemporary architectural issues and the impact of Modernist thinking on South Asian architecture: Le Corbusier's master plan and building designs for Chandigarh - the Kahn's design for the monumental second capital complex in Dhaka, Bangladesh, and the master plan for Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan, by Constantinos Doxiades. In addition, the works of such South Asian architects such as Charles Correa, Balkrishna Doshi, Raj Rewal, Geoggrey Bawa, Maxharul Islam, and Nyyar Dada, will be included in the lectures and discussions. The overall methodology will not be strictly chronological; rather, broad themes will be addressed during the course of the semester. This approach will enable a clear and substantive illustration of relationships between theory and practice in South Asia. It will also help students recognize the inevitable partiality and incompleteness of such theoretical descriptions - compelling as they may be - with regard to actual historical phenomena.
Note : Class size, frequency of offering, and evaluation methods will vary by location and instructor. For these details check the specific course syllabus.