Architecture or revolution

"By linking building theory to the emancipatory project of critique advanced by radical thinkers in our time, this work investigates the key conceptual and historical elements that culminate in an emancipatory theory of building entitled: 'Toward A Philosophy of Shelter'. Taking Marx as its only resource, this work proceeds with the conviction that our era is contemporaneous to Marx's historical era. This means 'not judging the validity of Marx from the perspective of the historical situation', but rather, 'demonstrating the validity of a Marxian perspective for a singular historical situation', as ours. This work will therefore translate this perspective into seeing the situation of architecture through the eyes of Marx. All those concerned with the predicament in our current condition in which architecture must play a major social role in upholding the universal value of what Alain Badiou calls 'generic humanity' will take an interest in this work. In particular, architects, critics, scholars and students inside the field of architecture who would be seeking the application of this universal value to a new theory of building will be a welcoming audience for this work"--

<P><STRONG>Apologue: Revolution, Critique, and Return to Philosophy</STRONG></P><P></P><P><STRONG>Exordium:</STRONG> <B>Learning from Valéry Reading Marx </P></B><P></P><B><P>Critical Pedagogy:</B> <B>Architecture or Revolution </P><P>PART I</P></B><P></P><B><P>1. The Blank Wall: Architecture and the French Revolution</P><P></B></P><P>Architecture and Bourgeoisie </P><P>Invention of the Blank Wall</P><P>Theses on the Blank Wall</P><P>Virtue and Terror</P><P>The Blank Wall and Philosophy of Revolution </P><B><P></P><P>2. The Architecture of Bonapartism</P><P></B></P><B><P></B>Corbusianism<B> </B>and Bonapartism </P><P>Keynesianism and Corbusianism</P><P>Neo-Bonapartism and Specters of Le Corbusier <B></P><P>PART II</P></B><P></P><B><P>3. Marx and Critique </P></B><P></P><P>Critique and Enlightenment </P><P>Transcritique</P><P>Critique and the Unconscious </P><P></P><B><P>4. Transcritique of Architecture </P></B><P></P><P>The Sublime Object of Critique </P><P>Phantasmagoria of Architecture </P><P>Architecture and the Capitalist Unconscious <B></P><P>PART III</P><P></P><P>5. Toward A Philosophy of Shelter </P></B><P></P><P>Shelter, Not A Lofty Tower </P><P>Universality of Shelter and the Philosophy of Right </P><P><STRONG>Coda: In Defence of Marx</STRONG></P><P>Index</P>