Practicing care through architecture: participatory research as a tool to subvert power structures

The paper raises questions about the extent to which architectural research can function as a tool for challenging power dynamics and facilitating a critique of capitalism. This aligns with the assertion by Meiksins Wood that such a critique of capitalism “requires a constantly renewed critique of the analytic instruments designed to understand it”. In the final chapter of “Critique of Architecture,” Spencer, in an interview with Kosec, asserts that architecture serves as the central and foundational arena for education, surveillance, and discipline. Within this context, the paper seeks to explore this question by offering a critical examination of the recent participatory research project “Architectures of Care”. This project involved the mapping of social and environmental care practices within three self-organized communities in Italy, Turkey, and the UK. The paper will particularly focus on the challenges associated with conducting research through participatory methods, herein participants become co-researchers. Additionally, it will address the controversial role of the “neutral researcher” within this framework. The “Architectures of Care” project provides valuable insights that contribute to the discussion of whether architecture can foster caring environments. Furthermore, it prompts reflection on the significance of involving self-organized communities in our research agenda. These communities are perceived as non-commodified agents that have the potential to challenge prevailing power structures, establish networks of care, and facilitate radical forms of social emancipation.