Abstract
Post–colonial theory, following the lead of Edward Said’s Orientalism, holds that the discourse that justified colonialism was not marginal to European culture, but that it formed a core ingredient of European thinking about Modernity and Modernism. This thought–provoking argument has not yet been thoroughly processed in architectural history and theory. This article explores these issues by introducing some of Said’s thoughts and by discussing how they might be relevant for an interpretation of Modernism in architecture. It looks at primitivism in architecture as encountered in the work of Loos, Le Corbusier and Rudofsky, arguing that its colonialist bias is undeniable. The conclusion stresses how much Said’s analyses still give rise to difficult questions about our ideas and attitudes.

Keywords
Modern Movement, Modern architecture, Tropical architecture, Design with climate, African modern architecture, Colonialism, Orientalism, Edward Said.

Issue 48
Year 2013
Pages 10-19
DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.52200/48.A.1KTV3PAE