Call for Papers: gta Doctoral Workshop 2020. Zurich, 13-14 October 2020
The gta Institute for the History and Theory of Architecture at ETH Zürich is organising the third biennial gta Doctoral Workshop on 13–14 October 2020. This event offers a selected group of international PhD candidates a forum to present new research in the history, theory and criticism of architecture, urbanism and landscape architecture, and other architecture-related domains. In line with gta’s conception as mediator between architectural theories and practice, histories and the present, we invite systematic, in-depth proposals that situate architecture in its historical, cultural and ideological contexts. The workshop seeks to review and expand established narratives by examining not only built environments and their architectural authors, but also the alternative agencies, knowledge transfers and supply chains that buttress their production. Contributions highlighting conceptual, disciplinary or geographical intersections are particularly welcome.
The workshop will consist of 8-10 presentations on selected topics, presented by invited doctoral candidates from international universities. We invite expressions of interest for 20-minute presentations, which may consist of a critical précis of hypotheses and conclusions, one detailed case study, or the application of research methodologies. The successful proposals will be framed by discussions with appointed respondents in moderated thematic sections. The papers, presentations and discussions will take place in English.
Eligibility and application. Each potential participant must be currently registered in a doctoral program and should have undertaken at least one year’s research on the presented topic. The application must include a full draft of the intended contribution (max. 2,500 words in length, excluding notes and figure labels). Each dossier should also include the following: a covering letter outlining the dissertation topic, the paper’s focus and the applicant’s institutional affiliation; a one-page short CV; a 150-word abstract summary explaining the paper’s proposition and the significance of the presented subject within the dissertation; and a written recommendation from the candidate’s supervisor confirming the dissertation’s status and estimated completion date. Candidates will be notified of their acceptance in by 1st June 2020, together with feedback on their proposals. The invited speakers will be asked to reflect the given feedback into the final paper that will be presented during the workshop. The invitation covers the cost of two nights’ accommodation in a Zurich hotel, as well as return train or plane travel (economy) to Zurich.
The gta Doctoral Workshop will be held within the framework of the Doctoral Program in the History and Theory of Architecture at the Department of Architecture, ETH Zurich, https://doctoral-program.gta.arch.ethz.ch/.
Interested PhD candidates should send the application electronically (in PDF format, no larger than 10 MB) by 15 May 2020, midnight Central European Time, to the email address: doctoral-program@gta.arch.ethz.ch. For organisational queries, please contact the event organiser, Dr. Irina Davidovici, at doctoral-program@gta.arch.ethz.ch.
Important dates:
25 February 2020: call opens
15 May: deadline for proposals (midnight 23:59 CET)
15 June: results communicated and invitations sent to selected candidates
30 June: confirmation of participation and travel arrangements
13 October: opening lecture and participants’ dinner, 18.00-22.00 (schedule tbc)
14 October: doctoral workshop takes place at ETH Zurich, 9.00-18.00 (schedule tbc)