Postmodernism Beyond the Neoliberal Turn (Keynote Lecture)

We look back at postmodernism as the architecture of neo-liberal consumerism and unbridled market economy, of colourful vanities and plays with no-longer venerated historical forms. But postmodern architecture was much more. It was a global movement applied to diverse political positions. It promoted the “return to the inner city” - the redefinition of urban life in a dense and functionally mixed city in which many of us live today. And it was connected with one of the most fundamental themes of our current era: the realization that resources are limited and that the unsustainable Western lifestyle may lead to global disaster – precisely of the kind that we are now facing with the climate emergency. Along these lines I will offer an interpretation of postmodernism beyond being a historicist style or an exuberant fashion. I will interpret postmodernism as a major force in the transformation of the built environment over the last half century, and a reflection of fundamental themes that determine our life to date