Overview

On August 13, 1961, under the cover of darkness, East German authorities sealed the border between East and West Berlin using a hastily constructed barbed wire fence. Over the next twenty-eight years of the Cold War, the Berlin Wall grew to become an ever-present physical and psychological divider in this capital city and a powerful symbol of Cold War tensions. Similarly, stark polarities arose in nearly every aspect of public and private life, including the built environment. In Architecture, Politics, and Identity in Divided Berlin Emily Pugh provides an original comparative analysis of selected works of architecture and urban planning in both halves of Berlin during the Wall era, revealing the importance of these structures to the formation of political, cultural, and social identities. Pugh uncovers the roles played by organizations such as the Foundation for Prussian Cultural Heritage and the Building Academy in conveying the political narrative of their respective states through constructed spaces. She also provides an overview of earlier notable architectural works, to show the precursors for design aesthetics in Berlin at large, and considers projects in the post-Wall period, to demonstrate the ongoing effects of the Cold War. Overall, Pugh offers a compelling case study of a divided city poised between powerful contending political and ideological forces, and she highlights the effort expended by each side to influence public opinion in Europe and around the World through the manipulation of the built environment.

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9780822963028

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Reviews

Pugh places us atop the Berlin Wall, from where we can see the relationship between the cities on either side of it. Set against a comprehensive discussion of Berlin before the wall was built, her rich examples show how architecture shaped the physical and cultural dualities of one of the twentieth century's most important cities. --Wallis Miller, University of Kentucky

"In this interesting and informative book, Emily Pugh explores the political and cultural meaning of architecture and urban design in West and East Berlin. Her account of West Berlin's State Library and East Berlin's Palace of Culture brilliantly blends aesthetic and ideological analysis. Pugh's study is an important contribution to the growing literature on the cultural history of the Cold War.-- ""James Sheehan, Stanford University"" Pugh places us atop the Berlin Wall, from where we can see the relationship between the cities on either side of it. Set against a comprehensive discussion of Berlin before the wall was built, her rich examples show how architecture shaped the physical and cultural dualities of one of the twentieth century's most important cities.-- ""Wallis Miller, University of Kentucky"" ""An impressive tour de force through the contested terrain of architecture in divided Berlin. Drawing on archival sources and architectural debates, social and urban histories, and feature films and newsreels, Pugh does an excellent job in reconstructing the city's postwar architectural history as an ongoing dialogue over definitions of space, place, and identity during the Cold War era and beyond. A model of interdisciplinary work!"" --Sabine Hake, author of Topographies of Class ""In this interesting and informative book, Emily Pugh explores the political and cultural meaning of architecture and urban design in West and East Berlin. Her account of West Berlin's State Library and East Berlin's Palace of Culture brilliantly blends aesthetic and ideological analysis. Pugh's study is an important contribution to the growing literature on the cultural history of the Cold War."" --James Sheehan, Stanford University ""Pugh places us atop the Berlin Wall, from where we can see the relationship between the cities on either side of it. Set against a comprehensive discussion of Berlin before the wall was built, her rich examples show how architecture shaped the physical and cultural dualities of one of the twentieth century's most important cities."" --Wallis Miller, University of Kentucky An impressive tour de force through the contested terrain of architecture in divided Berlin. Drawing on archival sources and architectural debates, social and urban histories, and feature films and newsreels, Pugh does an excellent job in reconstructing the city's postwar architectural history as an ongoing dialogue over definitions of space, place, and identity during the Cold War era and beyond. A model of interdisciplinary work!-- ""Sabine Hake, author of Topographies of Class"""

"""An impressive tour de force through the contested terrain of architecture in divided Berlin. Drawing on archival sources and architectural debates, social and urban histories, and feature films and newsreels, Pugh does an excellent job in reconstructing the city's postwar architectural history as an ongoing dialogue over definitions of space, place, and identity during the Cold War era and beyond. A model of interdisciplinary work!"" --Sabine Hake, author of Topographies of Class ""In this interesting and informative book, Emily Pugh explores the political and cultural meaning of architecture and urban design in West and East Berlin. Her account of West Berlin's State Library and East Berlin's Palace of Culture brilliantly blends aesthetic and ideological analysis. Pugh's study is an important contribution to the growing literature on the cultural history of the Cold War."" --James Sheehan, Stanford University ""Pugh places us atop the Berlin Wall, from where we can see the relationship between the cities on either side of it. Set against a comprehensive discussion of Berlin before the wall was built, her rich examples show how architecture shaped the physical and cultural dualities of one of the twentieth century's most important cities."" --Wallis Miller, University of Kentucky"

Author Information

Emily Pugh is Robert H. Smith postdoctoral research associate at the Center for the Advanced Study in the Visual Arts, National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC.

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