An International Politics of 'Czech' Architecture
Why look to international politics if you want to understand architecture? Taking examples from the late Habsburg era to the present.
This article by Benjamin Tallis shows how international politics, viewed through the lens of societal multiplicity, can shed new light on why certain buildings are built in the way they are, how they are used and received by states and societies, and whether they are renovated or destroyed. It looks at the international political effects of architecture but, more importantly at how 'the international' shapes architecture itself. Specifically, the author draws 'sketches' of key buildings in the Czech lands, from the late Habsburg era to the present, to illustrate how the various consequences of societal multiplicity - of being internationally related - matter for architecture, which is still generally understood as 'national'. In so doing, he also makes the case for retaining and reviving 'the international' in International Political Sociology.
You can find the article here: An international politics of Czech architecture; or, reviving the international in international political sociology
Dr. Benjamin Tallis is a Senior Researcher at the Institute of International Relations Prague. He focuses on issues concernig Eurpean Security, Critical Geopolitics and Political Geography, Central & East European Politics and many others.