About the book: In this book, Zaida Muxí reviews the historical role of women in the production and theory of architecture and urbanism. She reflects on how this presence—and, above all, the recurring absence of a female perspective—impacts the spaces we inhabit. From design to urban and housing policy and the debate on new ideas, the book treats the home and the city as representations of the private and public spheres. The home as a metaphor for architecture; the city as a synthesis of human action. Discussing these topics from a female perspective requires deconstructing official historiography, revealing the false universality of how knowledge is transmitted and historical narratives are constructed. As in other fields of knowledge—the arts, science, and politics—women do not exist on equal footing, nor are they represented according to merit. Therefore, it is necessary to revisit the history of architecture and cities to rewrite it, now with women as the definitive protagonists.
"For us here in Brazil, it is a privilege to have this translation, which includes two of our great figures—Carmen Portinho and Lina Bo Bardi—and opens a channel for dialogue and research, broadening the path for the construction of new narratives."
Catherine Otondo and Renata Coradin
