Call for papers | Seminar 'Cultural Heritage and the Female Gaze'

Call for papers until June 30th 2025

Recently scholarly work has increased the visibility of women in connection to design projects, locating architectural agency across the ages among predominantly male protagonists. But beyond the role of the professional practitioner and design authorship, the relation between women and cultural heritage opens a broader scope of practices and experiences. Created by a wide range of actors and experiences, the built environment provides for multilayered and nuanced examples of female intervention and influence. This seminar welcomes papers that address female actors in relation to the shaping and the study of the built environment and cultural heritage. We particularly encourage submissions that intertwine the female gaze and agency with themes of cultural encounters and the complexities of travel experiences, thereby enriching our understanding of how women have navigated, shaped, and redefined the cultural landscapes within which they operate. Contributors may also propose papers that focus on their own research experiences. Through this exploration, we aim to widen the discourse on the intersectionality of gender, space, and cultural representation, seeking a more inclusive comprehension of architectural history and heritage. 

The seminar is part of the European Research Council (ERC) project "ID-SCAPES – Building Identity: Religious Architecture and Sacral Landscapes of Christian Minorities in India and Bangladesh". It is also conceived as a tribute to Raquel Soeiro de Brito and Gritli von Mitterwallner, two pioneering women researchers born in 1925, whose legacies continue to inspire reflection on gender and knowledge production.

Two keynote lectures will frame the day’s discussions. Art historian Oliver Kessler, from the University of Bonn, and researcher Antonieta Reis Leite, from the Centre for Social Studies at the University of Coimbra, will offer critical insights into the seminar’s core themes.

Proposals of up to 300 words, including a title and five keywords, should be accompanied by a short biography (200 words) and sent to idscapes@arq.up.pt by 30 June 2025. The event will take place in person only, and selected participants will be notified by the end of July.

Scientific Committee: 
Alice Santiago Faria 
Ana Alves Costa 
Antonieta Reis Leite 
Carla Garrido de Oliveira  
Sidh Losa Mendiratta 

Organising Committee:
Ana Brett 
Cláudia Duarte 
Giuseppe Resta  
Tiago Cruz 
 
Keynote speaker 1: 
Oliver Kessler (Department of Asian and Islamic Art History, University of Bonn) 

Keynote speaker 2: 
Antonieta Reis Leite (Centro de Estudos Sociais, Universidade de Coimbra)

Seminar:
2 october 2025
Room CCR.01, FAUP