Alive again: A cartography for “post-theory” in architecture

Abstract

One of the most important topics of recent architectural discourse is post-theory debates. Arguments in favor of the post-theory claim that the traditional theory attempts to organize the world from above. However, today’s architectural practice operates in a practically alive world. Top-down hierarchies of the theory are not viable to sustain in the present. Thus, architecture today is conceived to be in a post-theoretical state. Novel possibilities for selfhood definitions within these becoming processes are emphasized. However, even though the post-theory discourse implies a radical break, vitality has been a crucial part of architectural theories. From mechanist understandings to organizational conceptions of life, vitality is a frequently referred term in architecture. Thus, this study follows a pattern of qualitative inquiry and attempts to provide a critical reading on post-theory discourses on life. The study employs a cartographical strategy to trace the discursive connections of vitality in architectural thought and charts a textual map open to being expanded. The study concludes that post-theory operates within the boundaries of a specific conception of vitality. From this perspective, rather than marking a death, post-theory discourses invite theory back to the discussion to question the relationship between theory and life.