Don’t let the cosmic metaphor fool you: this seminar is resolutely down to earth.

This semester, we continue to develop an understanding of Berlin as a postcolonial city- one where the legacies of empire remain deeply inscribed in both spatial form and institutional practice. Building on this perspective, we will engage with current debates around gentrification, examining the mechanisms that sustain dominant power structures and their claims over the right to define the city.

Cities are formed by design of centrality, out of architectures invested in validating the idea of the centrality of power, capital, knowledge, and culture. The spaces, boundaries and visual representations defined by these architectures are designed to determine not only what matters, but also who matters. Control is exerted over what histories are remembered, and how they are told. Yet, centuries of resistance, infiltration, and subversion have generated rich repertoires of refusal and re-making within urban infrastructures.

At the same time, cities have become cosmopolitan nodes infused with the atmospheres of multiple diasporas- multiplex and layered spaces where, perhaps, anyone might find a place to belong. We will follow this thread toward hope, allowing both speculative thought- such as science fiction- and tangible case studies to guide us.

Through field trips, collective readings, screenings, discussions, and reflective exercises, participants will connect these ideas to their own ongoing projects, whether within other seminars or in their practices beyond Raumstrategien. The aim is to experiment with and apply reflective methods- mapping, writing, illustrating, and more- as part of the seminar’s core work. Writing and presentation sessions will provide structured support throughout the semester.