1968

Architectural theory is conventionally said to be a phenomenon born out of a tradition and therefore one that generally operates by evolution rather than by revolution. In quiet times this is generally the case. Very little, if anything, is ever new to architectural theory, and often generations of architects grapple with the very same issues, albeit within a changing historical context. But theory, too, is almost always visibly shaken by momentous intellectual, political, and economic events. The intellectual foment surrounding the Enlightenment defined one such moment within the course of Western history. World War I made its mark on theory, and the Great Depression ushered in a new era of thought. The year 1968 seems to define another such moment.

Nineteen sixty-eight was above all a year of political convulsion and violence. In Europe the year opened and closed with the uplifting and disheartening events in Czechoslovakia. In early January, Antonín Novotný, the first secretary of the Communist Party, was ousted from his position by the Slovak Alexander Dubček (1927–93), who promised “socialism with a human face.” With the further removal of Novotný loyalists from the cabinet in March, the “Prague Spring” became a cause of worldwide celebration. The country's censorship laws were quickly revoked, and people in the streets reveled in their newfound freedom of expression.