The Shape of Utopia: The Architecture of Radical Reform in Nineteenth-Century America - Couverture souple

Cheng, Irene

 
9781517907464: The Shape of Utopia: The Architecture of Radical Reform in Nineteenth-Century America
Couverture souple
ISBN 10 : 1517907462 ISBN 13 : 9781517907464
Editeur : University of Minnesota Press, 2023

Synopsis

How nineteenth-century social reformers devised a new set of radical blueprints for society

In the middle of the nineteenth century, a utopian impulse flourished in the United States through the circulation of architectural and urban plans predicated on geometrically distinct designs. Though the majority of such plans remained unrealized, The Shape of Utopia emphasizes the enduring importance of these radical propositions and their ability to visualize alternatives to what was then a newly emerging capitalist nation.

Drawing diagrammatic plans for structures such as octagonal houses, a hexagonal anarchist city, and circular centers of equitable commerce, these various architectural utopians applied geometric forms to envision a more just and harmonious society. Highlighting the inherent political capacity of architecture, Irene Cheng showcases how these visionary planners used their blueprints as persuasive visual rhetoric that could mobilize others to share in their aspirations for a better world.

Offering an extensive and uniquely focused view of mid-nineteenth-century America's rapidly changing cultural landscape, this book examines these utopian plans within the context of significant economic and technological transformation, encompassing movements such as phrenology, anarchism, and spiritualism. Engaging equally with architectural history, visual culture studies, and U.S. history, The Shape of Utopia documents a pivotal moment in American history when ordinary people ardently believed in the potential to reshape society.

Les informations fournies dans la section « Synopsis » peuvent faire référence à une autre édition de ce titre.

À propos de l?auteur

Irene Cheng is associate professor of architecture at the California College of the Arts.

Les informations fournies dans la section « A propos du livre » peuvent faire référence à une autre édition de ce titre.

Éditeur
University of Minnesota Press
Date d'édition
2023
Langue
anglais
ISBN 10 
1517907462
ISBN 13 
9781517907464
Reliure
Broché
Nombre de pages
376
Coordonnées du fabricant
non disponible
Personne responsable
non disponible

Autres éditions populaires du même titre

9781517907457: The Shape of Utopia: The Architecture of Radical Reform in Nineteenth-century America

Edition présentée

ISBN 10 :  1517907454 ISBN 13 :  9781517907457
Editeur : University of Minnesota Press, 2023
Couverture rigide