Aston, H., 2021.

Feminisms Conversations: feminist way of exploring vertical dialogues across the intersectional issues of class, race, sexual orientation, age, disability and gender.

PRAXXIS is a feminist vertical design atelier across three years at the Manchester School of Architecture examining the current governing structures of the discipline and profession of architecture from a critical gendered and intersectional standpoint . By using the multi-layered lens of intersectional feminism, we ask our students to analyse how interlocking systems of power impact on those who are most marginalised in society. As a way of challenging normative practice, we task our students to construct their own agenda based on the commonly used feminist slogan of the personal is the political and empower them to develop forms of practice whose aim is not just a building but a tool to transform the social, political and economic conditions of a place.

o To do this I have created a series of Feminisms Conversations across the three years in small groups as spaces for safe 'thinking, sharing and talking'.
o The conversations aim to mentor, break down barriers to learning and fill in gaps in knowledge and share expert knowledges within and across the student groups. They work both informally and formally.
o The conversations work in parallel to a series of Praxxis Podcasts where the teaching team discuss key feminist agendas alongside Praxxis Associates.
o They are used to share feminist theories, dialogues, interruptions, interventions, participatory tools, and spatial agency to help create projects exploring personal, environmental, economic, political and social inequity.
o Most importantly, they are used as a pedagogic tool for investigating other ways of doing Feminist Architecture.