Colonial Modern: Aesthetics of the Past Rebellions for the Future

Colonial Modern focuses on the dual topics of the relationship between the post-war aesthetic regime of modernism and the project of modernization in architecture and urban planning, as well as on the highly charged intertwining of both in the context of colonialism and decolonization. Colonial Modern is based on the exhibition In the Desert of Modernity: Colonial Planning and After, which traced these connected histories of modern architecture and urban planning in colonial northern Africa and Europe, and was first exhibited in 2008 at the House of World Cultures in Berlin, Germany. The book reflects contemporary research into architectural modernism and colonialism, and utilizes the thesis of “negotiated modernism” to initiate new debates on conceptions of modernism-and, inevitably, postmodernism- in an interdisciplinary context. Colonial Modern is split into four distinct chapters of academic discourse: On Colonial Modernity The Colonial Urban Laboratory Travelling Notions, Approaches and Models Dialogues Souterrain Seminal and significant texts, such as Paul Rabinow's “Fordism and Colonialism”, Marc Crinson's “The Colonial Modern and the Smithsons”, and Sven Olov Wallenstein's “Biopolitics, Architecture and Colonialism” are included, alongside essays by the book's editors, and selected interviews with related researchers and artists in the field. Through the contributions from academics and specialists in the field, as well as the rich illustrations, Colonial Modern: Aesthetics of the Past Rebellions for the Future provides an insightful discourse on the subject of modernity in architecture and the effect of colonialism. AUTHOR: Tom Avermaete is an architect, Associate Professor of Architecture at the TU Delft, the Netherlands and a Guest Professor of Architectural Theory at the KU Leuven He is the author of Another Modern: the Post-War Architecture of Candilis-Josic-Woods, 2005 and has edited and contributed on many books on architecture. Serhat Karakayali (1971) lives in Germany and works at the College of Cultural Studies, Konstanz. He co-founded the group Kanak Attack, which organized political events and used artistic and satirical means to put the spotlight on topics such as multiculturalism, racism and illegality. He was co-editor of books on capitalism and immigration. Together with a group of artists he founded the Center for Post-Colonial Knowledge and Culture Berlin, the CPKC, in 2008. Marion von Osten is a Professor at the Academy of Fine Arts, Vienna, and works as an author, artist and curator. She is the head of the Berlin research installation of the exhibition In the Desert of Modernity, Colonial Planning and After, the exhibition and accompanying program of events took place from 29 August to 2 November 2008 at the House of World Cultures in Berlin. ILLUSTRATIONS 150 colour & b/w illustrations *