Beyond the Drawing: Ethnography and Architecture as Contested Narratives of the Human Experience of Dwelling

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

This work is a very important overview of the methodological approaches in architecture that bring more and more of ethnographic research tools into architectural theory and practice. Moreso, the work does not only contribute to the discussion of interdisciplinarity and interconnectedness between ethnology/ethnography and cultural anthropology and architecture, but it is also relevant for future work on human dwelling that needs to respond to contemporary changes, development and needs of various societies and social (sub)groups, both in urban and rural contexts.

In the sense of the relevance of this paper for discussion on contemporary relation between architecture and ethnography, it would be very useful that the authors at the beginning of the paper position themselves and state from which discipline's viewpoint do they analyse this theme. If they take an interdisciplinary approach, they should mention which disciplines are involved and from which theoretical starting points the authors develop their discussion? There is a lack of referencing to other authors in the introductory and Discussion part. So, the work needs a more qualitative approach with deeper reading of relevant literature on epistemological and interdisciplinary hierarchy and tensions, on dwelling from cultural anthropological and ethnological viewpoint and on architecture concerned with social issues, which the authors mention, but too generally. 

Furthermore, it is not only that ethnography provides other disciplines, in this case architecture, with methodological tools, but also, as the authors themselves state in this paper, it provides, within its methodology, concepts and approaches of ethnology and cultural anthropology that might enhance the theoretical bases of architecture as well as practical analysis of current and specific geographical needs of certain societies. This is why those issues need to be more clearly referenced and discussed in the main part of the paper, with mentioning not only ethnography, but also ethnology and cultural anthropology (maybe also sociology) when refering to concepts and ideas, viewpoints and interpretation that are different from those of the architectural theory.

Besides providing an insight into current state of discussions on interface between archcitecture and ethnography/ethnology, the authors should state in the methodological part of the paper that they decided they have gathered enough material and data to have a qualitative analysis. They should also mention what areas of the world are included and that many themes have been encountered in the process of data gathering (the main themes they analyse are mentioned throughout the paper, so this part is covered). Otherwise, it might seem they superficially conducted their research. When mentioning many themes, there seems to be a lack of ecology issues towards environment preservation that sustains human life when connected to dwelling, so the authors might refer in several sentences more to this subtheme.

USA and Great Britain are not just global North but they are also culturally Western countries, so the authors should refer to that, too. Also, South-East would be a corresponding divide, and not only South, especially if there are any Asian countries covered by the data.

What does "modernist project" on page 12 refer to? It needs some explanation. Also, the word "modern" in other places in the text might be replaced by the term "contemporary" if the authors refer to current issues and time.

There are some repetitions on the pages 13 and 14 which the authors should reduce.

Although conclusion is quite coherent, it needs more explanation and highlighting of the main points from the core of the paper - parts of the discussion should be here brought very concisely in order to draw conclusion from them.

Author Response

Reviewer 1

Observation 1: This work is a very important overview of the methodological approaches in architecture that bring more and more of ethnographic research tools into architectural theory and practice. Moreso, the work does not only contribute to the discussion of interdisciplinarity and interconnectedness between ethnology/ethnography and cultural anthropology and architecture, but it is also relevant for future work on human dwelling that needs to respond to contemporary changes, development and needs of various societies and social (sub)groups, both in urban and rural contexts.

Response 1: Thanks for the supportive comment.

Observation 2: In the sense of the relevance of this paper for discussion on contemporary relation between architecture and ethnography, it would be very useful that the authors at the beginning of the paper position themselves and state from which discipline's viewpoint do they analyse this theme. If they take an interdisciplinary approach, they should mention which disciplines are involved and from which theoretical starting points the authors develop their discussion? There is a lack of referencing to other authors in the introductory and Discussion part. So, the work needs a more qualitative approach with deeper reading of relevant literature on epistemological and interdisciplinary hierarchy and tensions, on dwelling from cultural anthropological and ethnological viewpoint and on architecture concerned with social issues, which the authors mention, but too generally. 

Response 2: Thank you for this crucial observation. We have now developed a description of our positionality and incorporated additional relevant authors in order to broaden and strengthen this discussion.

Observation 3: Furthermore, it is not only that ethnography provides other disciplines, in this case architecture, with methodological tools, but also, as the authors themselves state in this paper, it provides, within its methodology, concepts and approaches of ethnology and cultural anthropology that might enhance the theoretical bases of architecture as well as practical analysis of current and specific geographical needs of certain societies. This is why those issues need to be more clearly referenced and discussed in the main part of the paper, with mentioning not only ethnography, but also ethnology and cultural anthropology (maybe also sociology) when refering to concepts and ideas, viewpoints and interpretation that are different from those of the architectural theory.

Response 3:  With the incorporation of new references, the discussion has been reformulated to achieve a more comprehensive articulation of the research findings.

Observation 4: Besides providing an insight into current state of discussions on interface between archcitecture and ethnography/ethnology, the authors should state in the methodological part of the paper that they decided they have gathered enough material and data to have a qualitative analysis. They should also mention what areas of the world are included and that many themes have been encountered in the process of data gathering (the main themes they analyse are mentioned throughout the paper, so this part is covered). Otherwise, it might seem they superficially conducted their research. When mentioning many themes, there seems to be a lack of ecology issues towards environment preservation that sustains human life when connected to dwelling, so the authors might refer in several sentences more to this subtheme.

Response 4: These clarifications have been added to the methodology section to provide greater precision regarding the criteria used for data extraction and analysis.

Observation 5: USA and Great Britain are not just global North but they are also culturally Western countries, so the authors should refer to that, too. Also, South-East would be a corresponding divide, and not only South, especially if there are any Asian countries covered by the data.

Response 5: We appreciate the precision of this observation and it has been incorporated into the new version.

Observation 6: What does "modernist project" on page 12 refer to? It needs some explanation. Also, the word "modern" in other places in the text might be replaced by the term "contemporary" if the authors refer to current issues and time.

Response 6: This has been a question of positionality, as the term is widely used within architectural discourse to refer to the dominant stylistic globalism promoted from the 1940s onwards by the CIAM movement, led by architect Le Corbusier. Further clarifications regarding the use and origins of this term have now been incorporated.

Observation 7: There are some repetitions on the pages 13 and 14 which the authors should reduce.

Response 7: The text has been revised to reduce redundancies.

Observation 8: Although conclusion is quite coherent, it needs more explanation and highlighting of the main points from the core of the paper - parts of the discussion should be here brought very concisely in order to draw conclusion from them.

Response 8: A new version of the conclusions has been incorporated to address these observations.

Reviewer 2 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

Title:

 Beyond the Drawing: Ethnography and Architecture as Contested Narratives of the Human Experience of Dwelling 3

Authors:

Jose Abásolo-Llaría 1 and Francisco Vergara-Perucich 2,

 

This text evidences considerable research - and a high degree of critical awareness of wider long term histories of the topics. The stated aims in the abstract are huge.The main thing -- is that it needs more focus

 

there is a statement on page 3 that is is quite clear - and may be useful for giving the work more focus in general in addressing such questions as:

What is the purpose? Why are the methods used of special importance? How -- ethnography is a qualitative field?

What are the particular - arguments - arguments that make the work distinctive.

They are - indeed - specific answers to these questions in the text -- but

It would be good to see more attention to ethnography (Geertz? Ingold - especially?) that would support arguments.  -

In addition - if it is about "decolonialising" knowledge -- it would be good to see reference to such such path breaking work as that of Mignola  

Mignolo, Walter 1992. On the Colonialisation of Amerindian Languages and Memories: Renaissance Theories of Writing and the Discontinuity of the Classical tradition

 

Mignolo, Walter 1994. The Movable Centre: Geographic Discourses and Territoriality During the Spanish Expansion in Cevallos- Aandau (ed.) Coded Encounters, 15-45,

 

Walter Mignolo, 1995 (2003) “Putting the Americas on the Map: Cartography and the Colonization of Space,” Chapter 5, in The Darker Side of the Renaissance: Literacy, Territoriality, and Colonization. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press. 259.

 

page 3 "To foster active collaboration between the fields of architecture and ethnography, this 92 study undertakes a systematic review aiming to build conceptual and methodological 93 bridges between both disciplines. It adopts a mixed-methods approach, combining com-94 putational bibliometric analysis with qualitative thematic interpretation, grounded in a 95 critical and interpretive epistemology. The primary goal was to explore how the architec-96 tural field has incorporated ethnography as a methodological, discursive, and epistemo-97 logical tool. Two specific objectives guided the inquiry: (i) to map the evolution, themes, 98 and agents of the architecture–ethnography nexus via R-assisted bibliometric analysis us-99 ing the bibliometrix package; and (ii) to interpret the meanings and uses of ethnography in 100 architecture through thematic analysis of abstracts retrieved from Web of Science"

 

Author Response

Reviewer 2

 

Observation 1: This text evidences considerable research - and a high degree of critical awareness of wider long term histories of the topics. The stated aims in the abstract are huge.The main thing -- is that it needs more focus.

 Response 1: Thank you for the comment. We have incorporated a clear definition of the study’s focus in the introduction to improve the presentation of the research and to sharpen its objectives.

 

Observation 2: What are the particular - arguments - arguments that make the work distinctive.

 

Response 2: We fully understand the observation and have clarified the arguments that provide the work with its distinctive contribution.

 

Observation 3: They are - indeed - specific answers to these questions in the text – but It would be good to see more attention to ethnography (Geertz? Ingold - especially?) that would support arguments.  

 

Response 3: We appreciate the observation and have incorporated new references to strengthen the articulation of this manuscript with relevant and convergent literature. These additions are reflected in direct changes to the introduction and, consequently, in the development of the discussion section.

 

Observation 4: In addition - if it is about "decolonialising" knowledge -- it would be good to see reference to such such path breaking work as that of Mignola

  

Mignolo, Walter 1992. On the Colonialisation of Amerindian Languages and Memories: Renaissance Theories of Writing and the Discontinuity of the Classical tradition

 

Mignolo, Walter 1994. The Movable Centre: Geographic Discourses and Territoriality During the Spanish Expansion in Cevallos- Aandau (ed.) Coded Encounters, 15-45,

 

Walter Mignolo, 1995 (2003) “Putting the Americas on the Map: Cartography and the Colonization of Space,” Chapter 5, in The Darker Side of the Renaissance: Literacy, Territoriality, and Colonization. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press. 259.

 

Response 4: We are grateful for the suggestion. In this new version, we have incorporated a revision of Mignolo’s arguments.

 

Observation 5: page 3 "To foster active collaboration between the fields of architecture and ethnography, this 92 study undertakes a systematic review aiming to build conceptual and methodological 93 bridges between both disciplines. It adopts a mixed-methods approach, combining com-94 putational bibliometric analysis with qualitative thematic interpretation, grounded in a 95 critical and interpretive epistemology. The primary goal was to explore how the architec-96 tural field has incorporated ethnography as a methodological, discursive, and epistemo-97 logical tool. Two specific objectives guided the inquiry: (i) to map the evolution, themes, 98 and agents of the architecture–ethnography nexus via R-assisted bibliometric analysis us-99 ing the bibliometrix package; and (ii) to interpret the meanings and uses of ethnography in 100 architecture through thematic analysis of abstracts retrieved from Web of Science"

Reviewer 3 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

This paper is trying to claim a role for ethnography as a way to critique standard architectural and planning assumptions about how space should be organized, but reading this paper is hard work. Unpack the terms that only other social theorists understand. It would benefit from examples. 

For instance,  line 386 what does it mean to "critically inhabit temporal strata inscribed in architecture". 

line 394 "architecture as pedagogy to teach architects how to read the social" needs an example of how this has worked in the authors' own experience.

line 417 the authors claim that "ethnography fills the gap between architectural intent and  lived experience", but they avoid using the term Post Occupancy Evaluation, which is admittedly problematic but it is a recognized term for how we study the relationship between arch'l intent and lived experience.  Why not refer to POEs, even if to say that we need something better.  

Line 458 what is "a methodological line of flight"?  I appreciate the poetry, but it probably would confuse architects who are generally not interested in the fine points of social research methods.

line 650 "architectural ethnography as a nascent field to question spatial order" is a great goal, but it needs  writing that communicates with examples, not just theory.  I taught from the very approachable Spradley & McCurdy, The Cultural Experience: ethnography in complex society for decades before  translating their approach into Ethnography for Designers. 

I value this paper because it helped me clarify the tightrope between social research as a way to show that things could be different than they are ("criticism") and social research being a way to help designers do a better job of designing for users. I personally have tried to serve the profession with 2/3 of my teaching and research and tried to write and teach as a critical social analyst with 1/3 of my time;  some projects manage to be both at the same time. Is that your ideal?  Give an example.

Methodologically, this paper analyzed published articles on ethnography and architectural design, but did not use books.  This is a reasonable decision, but it does leave out some work.  This limitation should be acknowledged in the discussion of the research method.

Author Response

Reviewer 3

 

Observation 1: This paper is trying to claim a role for ethnography as a way to critique standard architectural and planning assumptions about how space should be organized, but reading this paper is hard work. Unpack the terms that only other social theorists understand. It would benefit from examples. 

For instance,  line 386 what does it mean to "critically inhabit temporal strata inscribed in architecture". 

Response 1: We understand the question and concern. We have expanded upon the precise observations that were provided.

Observation 2: line 394 "architecture as pedagogy to teach architects how to read the social" needs an example of how this has worked in the authors' own experience.

Response 2: We rephrased this section to avoid confusion.  

Observation 3: line 417 the authors claim that "ethnography fills the gap between architectural intent and  lived experience", but they avoid using the term Post Occupancy Evaluation, which is admittedly problematic but it is a recognized term for how we study the relationship between arch'l intent and lived experience.  Why not refer to POEs, even if to say that we need something better.  

Response 3: We have rephrased this definition to make it less complex. It is important to note that the study is based on themes that emerged organically from the methodological analysis. For instance, although the concept of POE is undoubtedly significant, it did not surface as a prominent aspect during the review, and for this reason, it has not been addressed.

Observation 4: Line 458 what is "a methodological line of flight"?  I appreciate the poetry, but it probably would confuse architects who are generally not interested in the fine points of social research methods.

Response 4: Thanks for the observation. We reparase it.

Observation 5: line 650 "architectural ethnography as a nascent field to question spatial order" is a great goal, but it needs  writing that communicates with examples, not just theory.  I taught from the very approachable Spradley & McCurdy, The Cultural Experience: ethnography in complex society for decades before  translating their approach into Ethnography for Designers. 

Response 5: We are grateful for the observation and suggestion. In addition to incorporating the valuable reference to Ethnography for Designers, which is highly relevant to our line of research, we have also strengthened our discussion by drawing on less abstract and more direct models to address the reflection noted.

Observation 6: I value this paper because it helped me clarify the tightrope between social research as a way to show that things could be different than they are ("criticism") and social research being a way to help designers do a better job of designing for users. I personally have tried to serve the profession with 2/3 of my teaching and research and tried to write and teach as a critical social analyst with 1/3 of my time;  some projects manage to be both at the same time. Is that your ideal?  Give an example.

Response 6: We appreciate the reviewer’s insightful reflection, which captures a key tension at the heart of this research. Our position is indeed aligned with the aspiration to bridge critical social analysis and the practical service to architectural design, recognising that both dimensions are necessary and, in some cases, can be productively intertwined. Ideally, we envisage ethnographic inquiry not merely as a critique of existing spatial orders, but also as a catalyst for more inclusive, situated, and ethically responsive design practices. An example of this dual movement can be seen in ethnographic studies of informal housing, where research simultaneously exposes systemic inequalities while informing community-led upgrading projects that challenge and reshape conventional urban development models. In this sense, we view the critical and the pragmatic not as mutually exclusive paths, but as intertwined trajectories that can enrich both architectural research and practice.

Observation 7: Methodologically, this paper analyzed published articles on ethnography and architectural design, but did not use books.  This is a reasonable decision, but it does leave out some work.  This limitation should be acknowledged in the discussion of the research method.

Response 7: Thank you for this observation. It has been incorporated into the text as the closing of the Data and Methods section.

Round 2

Reviewer 2 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

its fine