0326 Architekt:innen-Monographien. Zur Revision eines wissenschaftlichen Publikationsformats

This article examines the origins of the monograph as a publication format dedicated to individual architects and explores how such person-centered narratives in architectural history are, or might be, written today in light of contemporary concerns such as gender equality and hegemonic discourses, including those addressed in postcolonial critique. Originally conceived as a means of honouring exclusively male and European architects and artists, the diversity among the authors of these publications was also very limited in the early days. The article poses critical questions: Who is deemed worthy of a monograph and thereby integrated into the architectural canon? What values and hierarchies are reinforced through such recognition? What roles do the various actors involved – the monograph’s author, those working in archives, collections, and publishing houses – play in shaping these narratives? The article offers a critical reassessment of the monograph as a traditional scholarly format, while also highlighting its potential to support a more interconnected and contextually grounded approach to architectural historiography.