Where are the women?
Despite being at least half of the world's population, our existence, contributions and memory continue to be suppressed in official historical narratives. This practice, common to all areas of knowledge and doing, and which also consists of a gesture of symbolic violence, results from the patriarchal, colonial and misogynist structures under which we live.
In art historiography, as Linda Nochlin points out in her essay “Why Have There Been No Great Women Artists?” (1970), the unconscious acceptance of the Western white man's point of view as the automatically accepted and validated historical generic point of view is a clear example of the epistemological perpetuation of this violence. The same happens in architecture, both in practice and in theoretical and historical formulations. There are many examples of suppression, distortion or silencing of female contributions, just look at the case of Lilly Reich or Eileen Gray or Denise Scott Brown; or for the academic teaching of the discipline itself, guided by the cult of (male) personality.
Thus, the fight against the historical silencing of women dates back to the 19th century. XIX, gaining urgency and expression within feminist movements. Women from different areas - from sciences to letters and arts - have come together in order to counteract the totalizing historiographical tendencies in which we do not see ourselves represented. In the context of contemporary architecture, this initiative was/is carried out by several architects, including Zaida Muxi Martinez, author of “Mujeres, Casa y Ciudades: mas alla del umbral” (1st edition 2018), one of the pioneering books in the historiography of the architecture and urbanism with feminist perspectives. In her work Muxi refutes the false idea of the “non-participation/existence of women” in life and in public spaces through a critical rereading of historiography:
“ (...) hay y ha habido mujeres en la esfera pública, y es necesario volver a mirar, a releer, para encontrarlas y encontrarnos”*(Muxi Martinez, 2018)
Based on this need for critical, collective and inclusive re-reading and rewriting, we dedicate the number 0 of our Lina Magazine to the theme “Where are Women?” to launch the challenge to all women and people who are interested in contributing to their proposal for alternative historiography.
We accept contributions in different formats: essays, academic articles, artistic compositions, dedicated to reflection on “Where are the Women?” in the history of architecture, in the practice of architecture, in the teaching of architecture, in the uses of architecture, in commissioning, in the experience of public space, in urbanism...
See below for formatting parameters. In case of doubt, you can contact us via revista.archlina@gmail.com, subject “Open Call - Doubts”
Lets make Herstory!
Equipa Editorial Revista Lina
* PÉREZ-MORENO, Lucía C (ed.). Perspectivas de género en la Arquitectura. Primer Encuentro. Madrid. Abada Editores, 2018, p. 83