Dr. Meral Ekincioglu

Welcome to my page,

Trained as an architect, I am a scholar with a Ph.D. degree and my scholarly endeavor is based on problem-centered research in architecture. More specifically, I am a scholar in postwar architecture history and the subjects of my current academic study are politics of gender, multiculturalism, diversity and inclusion in my expertise field. In this respect, I conducted my advanced academic research project at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, History, Theory and Criticism of Architecture Program for two years (1) after my Ph.D. degree in Architecture at Istanbul Technical University. My scholarly project brings into focus a critical insight into the politics of gender in institutional policies, academia, the profession, education, history and history-writing, and examines cross-cultural relations and transnational (design) practice in postwar architecture. Following my productive research process at MIT, I am currently developing the manuscript for my book, and conducting my new research project to “unfold” hidden and silent voices of underrepresented communities in multicultural context of (the US) architecture (history) that is supported by participation of MIT, Harvard, Yale, Princeton, etc.

Based on my advanced academic and archival research during my studies at the MIT, HTC Program, I presented my scholarly project and findings at the MIT-HTC Program, the International Women in Architecture Symposium at Virginia Tech., the MIT-Women’s and Gender Studies Program Intellectual Forum Series, the Women’s Studies Speaker Series organized by Center for the Study of Women and Society at the CUNY-Graduate Center, Harvard University for a talk series organized by New England Turkish Student Association, the 71st Society of Architectural Historians (SAH) - Annual International Conference where I was awarded by a SAH Fellowship. In addition, I was a panelist at “A Convergence at the Confluence of Power, Identity and Design” organized by the Women in Design Group at the Harvard University, Graduate School of Design, and at “A Square and Half - The Colors, A Tribute by Ivaana Muse” at the MIT Museum. In my expertise field, I am an author and a contributor of two international publication projects on women architects (forthcoming 2021).

In order to stimulate critical awareness of gender and women in architecture (in its profession, practice, education, history and historiography), and to give an impetus for new collections in those fields, I created and developed the collection, "Women in Modern and Contemporary Territories of Turkish Architecture" at MIT. Conducted for Archnet, online source of MIT and named one of the top 20 architecture websites by the Global Grid in 2016 (2), this is the first project on documenting the leading figures of the first and the second generations of Turkish women architects as a digital collection, open to international scholars and based on my scholarly research, literature review and texts. In addition, I am a certificate holder by Consortium for Graduate Studies, Gender, Culture, Women & Sexuality (GCWS) at MIT.

In light of my expertise field in architecture, my aim is also to contribute to heated discussions on full citizenship in today’s academia and society through architecture history, theory and criticism. On this basis, I was one of the speakers at WikiConference North America (MIT, 2019), and will speak at the 51st NeMLA Annual Convention organized by Boston University. I am also a contributor of the first exhibition on Citizen Tales Commons at the Emerson College-New Urban Art Gallery.

As a special Turkish fellow, I began my Ph.D. dissertation research at the Harvard University, Aga Khan History of Art and Architecture, Ph.D. Program in 2006, conducted it for 10 months, and continued this advanced academic research at the Columbia University, Graduate School of Planning and Preservation, Ph.D. Program as a research scholar (2008-2009). Based on my dissertation research at Harvard and Columbia universities, I completed the first Ph.D. dissertation on the practice history of Tekeli-Sisa Architecture Partnership (1954, Istanbul-present) and obtained my Ph.D. degree in Architecture at Istanbul Technical University in 2011. My secondary academic fields are sociology, theory and the modern history of the architecture profession, modernization of architectural design practice, relationship between the design architect and the client, and their historical thresholds in postwar Turkey.

While conducting my Ph.D. dissertation research at Harvard and Columbia universities, I presented my two academic papers at "Media in Transition 5 and 6", two international conferences organized by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Comparative Media Studies in 2007 and in 2009. With my editorial background and scholarly formation, my academic papers discuss the historical progress of professional architectural journalism, its significant editors, their journalistic criticism, recent development in architectural media in Turkey and their impact on the built-environment in the country.

With my editorial and architectural background on modern Turkey along with my scholarly perspective, I also conducted an extensive project on "Arkitekt", the leading professional architectural journal published in modern Turkey (1931-1981) for Avery Index to Architectural Periodicals at Columbia University while conducting my Ph.D. dissertation research at that academic institution in 2008-2009. Entering 50 years of architectural data (1931-1981) from modern and contemporary Turkish architecture, editors, architectural historians, critics, practitioners, etc., my contribution to Avery Index to Architectural Periodical was to support scholarly research on alternative modern and contemporary architectural examples in relation to my native country and its unique architectural culture in between East and West.

In order to bring into focus the creative potential of diversity and multicultural perspective as related to immigrant architects and underrepresented communities in the U.S. architecture, I conducted two short documentary film projects in 2017 and in 2016. My most recent short documentary film project, “Unfolding the Turkish Chapter at Massachusetts Institute of Technology-Architecture” aims to indicate the lack of undocumented backgrounds of women and gender in the U.S. architecture education. My second short documentary film project elaborates the educational background and professional career of the first woman architect from the Princeton University, School of Architecture. Following my advanced academic research project at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, my descriptive text on this short documentary film was published by Architexx. This short documentary film was the top video among the video collection of Archnet, online source of Massachusetts Institute of Technology in June 2016. In addition, I conducted a short architectural film project on the MIT, non-denominational Chapel, a significant iconic architectural design by Eero Saarinen, a Finnish-American architect in postwar U.S. in the MIT campus’ postwar architecture. All of those short documentary and architectural films are based on my scholarly and archival research, text and were aired in the U.S. in 2016 and in 2017.*

I received my Bachelor and Master degrees in Architecture from Istanbul Technical University. Following my education, I maintained productive dialogs and collaboration with Turkish academia by promoting critical discussion platforms to re-evaluate existing curriculums and the academic agenda. In relation to my master thesis (1996), I took the first step with Prof. Dr. Safak Ural at the Department of Philosophy at Istanbul University to organize “Architecture and Philosophy I”, the first national symposium which offered a rich academic platform to discuss the influence of philosophy on architecture through the extensive participation of philosophers, professors and practitioners in Turkish architecture. Bringing together professors, scholars, critics in Turkish architecture and in the field of philosophy, I served as its organizing committee member and delivered my published presentation (2001). Considering its success and positive feedbacks, this first academic event turned into a national symposium series organized under various philosophy-architecture themes. Prior to Istanbul Technical University, I pursued my education at the Erenkoy Girls High School founded in Istanbul in 1911 and one of the oldest surviving girls' high schools in modern Turkey.

In Istanbul, I taught advanced architectural design studio and various courses related to the history, theory and discourse of 20th century modern and contemporary architecture and its practice at the Yeditepe University, Department of Architecture. Established in 1996, Yeditepe University is one of the well-known foundation universities in the Republic of Turkey. All courses by the Department of Architecture are offered in English and the university is a signatory to Student Exchange Protocols with over 30 universities in the United States.

In the end of the 1990s, I began to work as the architectural journalist and the editor in Istanbul. As the co-founding editor and the foreign affairs representative at the leading architectural journals of Turkey (Tasarim in 1996; Arredamento Mimarlik in 1999-2001; PORTFOLYO in 2002-2005), I established very nurturing and communicative dialog with academia, professionals and design practitioners in Turkish and world/global architecture. Having numerous published articles, interviews, translations, my 19 editorial monographs are available at leading academic libraries in the U.S., such as at the Avery Architectural and Fine Arts Library of Columbia University, the Frances Loeb Library of the Harvard University Graduate School of Design and the Rotch Library of Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Architecture & Planning. As the general publishing coordinator and architectural journalist, I always put my readers’ learning needs at the forefront of my investigative journalism through my highly informed research and writings. As a professional practitioner in architecture, I worked for various architectural offices and firms in Istanbul in the 1990s. In 1996, my graduation project was nominated as the award candidate at the Fifth National Architecture Awards organized by the Chamber of Architects of Turkey, and I partipated in the Fifth National Architecture Awards Exhibition with this project.

I am the member of the Middle East Studies Association (2017-present), Society of Architectural Historian (2017-present), the friend of Boston Society of Architects (2015-present), Society of American Archivist (2018-present), the honorary member of the World Architecture Community (2008-present) and the Northeast Modern Language Association (NeMLA, 2019-present). Based on my scholarly studies, my biographical information has taken its place at the Biographical Database of the International Archive of Women in Architecture, a joint program of the College of Architecture and Urban Studies and the University Libraries at Virginia Tech.

In addition to my scholarly studies and projects in architecture, my another mission is to support creative artistic, cultural events and inclusive approach in architecture, academia and society in various ways: I volunteered for the organization of KidsBuild! held at Boston Society of Architects space (2019), the 25th Harvard Arts First Festival (2017), the Common Boston Festival by Boston Society of Architects Foundation (2017), was a singer at the MIT’s Women Chorale (2006-2007), organized two piano recitals by Gulsin Onay (a world renowned Turkish woman virtuoso in Western classical music and the soloist of the Presidential Symphony in Ankara) at MIT and Harvard University (in collaboration with the MIT-Turkish Student Association and the Harvard-College-Turkish Student Association in 2015), have been playing and singing to support local artists in Cambridge-Boston, and for elders in collaboration with an organization in Boston, and took a part of Mayor Marty Walsh's campaing to support his agenda on equity and inclusion for the social and cultural progress of Boston. I am a member at the MIT’s Women League (2014-present) and Harvard Neighbors (2006-2007; 2017-present).

As a contributor of SAHARA, a digital image archive developed by the Society of Architectural Historians in collaboration with Artstor and funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, architectural photography is my deep-interest. In addition, I am a fanatic appreciator of some electro/acoustic guitarists and bass players (in jazz, jazz-rock/fusion and progressive rock, like Stanley Clarke, Marcus Miller, Eberhard Weber, Dave Holland, Mike Stern, Kurt Rosenwinkel, John McLaughlin and Robert Fripp), and singing with my acoustic guitar (lead vocal in alternative and folk rock as the rhythm guitar) is one of the deepest ways for me to connect with my inner-self and establish a creative dialog with people.

For any inquiries, please contact me directly.
.

Thank you for reading my page;

Meral Ekincioglu, Ph.D.

meral@meralekincioglu.com

meralekincioglu.blogspot.com

(1) My advanced academic research project at the MIT, HTC Program examines the postwar history of Turkish women architects with my specific research problem and is also the first scholarly and advanced study on the early women architects from the Princeton University, School of Architecture (Class of 1970 and 1971). I met those women architects in person, Professor Robert Geddes, the first dean of the Princeton University, School of Architecture and discussed my findings. As those women architects expressed, there is no scholarly study on their career hi/story, and Professor Robert Geddes, the pioneering professor at the SoA to admit early women architecture students told that he does not know any research study on the early women architects from the Princeton University, SoA. (The sound record of my conversation with him is in my personal archive). Following this, I visited Beverly Willis, the founder of Beverly Willis Architecture Foundation (2016) and shared my findings on those women architects. As she expressed, she does not know any research or publication on early women architects from the Princeton University, SoA. When I contacted Professor Mary McLeod, a feminist architecture historian at Columbia University, GSAPP, all architecture historians at the Princeton University, School of Architecture, Monica Ponce de Leon, the woman dean of the Princeton University, School of Architecture, President of Princeton University by e-mail and asked for their scholarly, architectural views or any comments / contributions to my advanced academic research on the early women architects from that school (2015-2016), none of them shared scholarly or architectural research, publication, comments or contributions to this research subject. In addition, I could not reach a study on this subject at the library of the Princeton University, School of Architecture. (2014-2016). In the final of my advanced academic research at the MIT-HTC, I shared my detailed research file to the Head of Program and Rafael Reif, the MIT President, My all presentations as a speaker and an invited speaker (2016-2018) are based on my advanced academic research project at the MIT, HTC Program (2014-2016). The academic sponsor of my advanced academic research project is the MIT, HTC Program and "all rights reserved".

(2) For MIT-Archnet Award, see: https://akpia.mit.edu/blog/archnet-named-one-top-20-architecture-sites-2016, accessed on 1.5.2019

* These short documentary and architectural films were produced by Turkish American TV under the direction of Dr. Hurriyet Aydin Ok. In 2007, Turkish American TV Television received the Community Service Award from the Turkish-American Association of Washington, DC (ATA-DC) and was also awarded by the Community Access Magic (CAM) Awards in the International Category from Prince George's County Community TV (PGCTV)in 2007 and 2008. The most recently, TATV received "Excellence in Media" Award at the 32. Annual National Turkish American Convention organized by the Assembly of Turkish American Association (ATAA), the Federation of Turkish American Associations (FTAA) and Turkish American Cultural Centers (TACC) in 2012.

. ACADEMIC PRESENTATIONS . PUBLICATIONS . SCHOLARLY RESEARCH . ARCHITECTURAL PRACTICE

. Response by the U.S. President Biden . "One Architecture . One World" . Music .Community Engagement

to my message to him (My upcoming research-centered initiative for

collective learning on 21st century architecture)

Welcome to my page...

Trained as an architect, I am a dedicated and distinguished scholar with Ph.D. in architecture. My problem-centered scientific research projects aim to explore game changing findings in my expertise fields. My current scientific research interests in architecture (history) are public health and climate justice with intersectional perspectives in the social context.

My recent advanced academic research project has examined social justice themes in (postwar) architecture (history): With academic sponsorship by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, History, Theory and Criticism of Architecture Program as a visiting scholar for two years (24 months), I am "the first" scholar to uncover professional career and education herstory of pioneering Turkish and Turkish-American women architects in multicultural postwar U.S. architecture, and "the first" scholar to uncover professional career and education herstory of the first three women architects from the Princeton University-School of Architecture (Class of 1970, 1971) with the beginning of co-education (1968, graduate level in architecture) after my Ph.D. in architecture at Istanbul Technical University. Intersectional feminism, intertwined history of architecture, and politics of gender in multicultural postwar U.S. architecture have been my recent scholarly research interests and expertise fields. (1). I was invited by the MIT-HTC, the MIT-WGS, the MIT-Women League, the MIT-Media in Transition International Conferences (5 & 6), the MIT-WikiConference North America, the Harvard University-GSD, the 53rd Middle East Studies Association-Annual Meeting, the Society of American Archivists-Research Forum (2020), CUNY, Boston University, the Society of Architectural Historians-Annual and International Conferences (2023 and 2018), "Women Who Design", the AIA-Silicon Valley, Emerson College, etc. as a speaker and a panelist. Following my productive research process at MIT, I am currently developing my book project.

My most recent research project investigates diverse and inclusive historical documentation practice at pioneering schools of architecture in the US, such as at MIT, Harvard, Yale, Princeton, etc., and I moderated an online panel organized by "Women Who Design" on diverse and inclusive historical documentation in architecture with distinguished panelists: Professor Mary Norman Woods, a pioneering woman architecture historian, a leading senior curator and two archivists in the field in 2021.

I am an awardee of a fellowship by the Society of Architectural Historians (SAH) and very pleased to receive invitation e-mail by the Founding Chair of Historic Interiors Affiliate Group at the Society of Architectural Historians (SAH-HIG) to serve their “first" Research Committee. With the goal of fostering new understandings of the history of interiors, I am also a committee member of HIG SAH (Historic Interiors Affiliate Group of the Society of Architectural Historians) to prepare its article award proposal guidelines for circulation to ad-hoc committee (2022) and have been working on archives and collections on historic interiors with a multidisciplinary perspective and some data of the SAH-Data Report (2021). With my scholarly mission to support and promote inclusive and diverse mindset in architecture (history), I was also a nominator for the Aga Khan Awards for Architecture. As a certificate holder by Consortium for Graduate Studies, Gender, Culture, Women & Sexuality (GCWS) hosted by MIT, I am also a peer reviewer of the PLAN Journal (TPJ) on research, studies and criticism in architecture and urbanism, and a scientific committee member of "VI International Conference on Architecture and Gender". (València, October 3rd-6th, 2023). (2).

As a panelist at "Convergence at the Confluence of Power, Identity, and Design" held by “the Harvard University, Graduate School of Design (GSD)-Women in Architecture Group” (in November 2018), it was an inspiring experience for me to act as an active part of a historic threshold and positive transformation at this pioneering school in architecture: With “Convergence”, we had invited everyone in architecture and design - oriented disciplines to take their concrete actions for systemic equity in education and profession. Following our strong messages, in April 2019, Professor Sarah Whiting was officially announced as "the first" woman dean in the history of the Harvard University-GSD: We accomplished, together!

.in architecture and urbanism.. .

As a special Turkish fellow, I began my Ph.D. dissertation research at the Harvard University, Aga Khan History of Art and Architecture, Ph.D. Program, and continued this advanced research at the Columbia University, Graduate School of Planning and Preservation, Ph.D. Program as a research scholar. Based on my dissertation research at Harvard and Columbia universities (in particular with scientific research support by Professor Kenneth Frampton), I completed "the first" Ph.D. dissertation on historical and theoretical analysis of practice conducted by Tekeli-Sisa Architecture (Istanbul, 1954-present) with a specific research problem on design architect - (diverse) large scale client relationship in the private sector, and obtained my Ph.D. in Architecture at the Istanbul Technical University, Faculty of Architecture. My secondary scholarly expertise fields and interests are sociology of the architecture profession, its theory and (postwar) history, modernization of architectural design practice, and design architect practitioner and (large - scale) client relationship with a focus on postwar Turkey. Prior to my advanced and international scholarly endeavors, I obtained my bachelor and master’s degrees in architecture from Istanbul Technical University established in 1773. Its Faculty of Architecture is "the first" school in the world that obtained recognition from the National Architecture Accreditation Board (NAAB) outside the US in 2008 as well (3). I also took my English language education at Istanbul Technical University, School of Foreign Languages, English Preparatory Programs accredited by the Commission on English Language Program Accreditation recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education. (4). Following my professional degree in architecture, my graduation project was nominated as an award candidate at the 5th National Architecture Awards by the Chamber of Architects of Turkey, and was exhibited in this Award Program's Travelling Exhibition across the country. As a licensed architect in Turkey, I pursued my professional design practice with my teaching and publishing practice in architecture as well.

I have over 100 publications in architecture, including published scholarly essays, articles, digital collection, published research report, interviews on my research, editorial monographs, digital publications of my panel talks, symposium and conference presentations, short documentary films and translations. According to Archnet at MIT, the collection I created and developed for this online resourse is the largest of several additions to their Women in Architecture Collection. (in 2016). (5). Diverse and inclusive historical documentation, visual materials' archives and architecture photography (for more than 30 years) are among my deep interests. With my published "817" architectural and interior photographs, I am a contributor of "SAH Archipedia", authoritative online encyclopedia of the U.S. built environment organized by the Society of Architectural Historians and the University of Virginia Press; and "SAHARA", a digital image archive developed by the Society of Architectural Historians in collaboration with Artstor and funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. In January 2023, I was very pleased to be the guest editor of SAHARA. My published architectural and interior photographs are mostly taken from iconic modern and contemporary buildings, pioneering research-based university campuses and landscaped environments on the East Coast of the U.S. My 19 editorial monographs on pioneering architects are accessible at leading academic libraries in the U.S. architecture, such as at the Avery Architectural and Fine Arts Library of Columbia University, the Frances Loeb Library of the Harvard University Graduate School of Design and the Rotch Library of Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Architecture & Planning. My published architectural monograph on Bernard Tschumi is accessible in Swiss Collections, a gateway to historical and modern collections in Swiss libraries and archives as well. (Bibliographic code: bbg08). These 19 editorial monographs are "first" series on pioneering international and national modern and contemporary architects for research and teaching communities in Turkish architecture.

With my full commitment to support inclusion and diversity in architecture, academia and society, I am also a founding member of Citizen TALES Commons, Cambridge-based multidisciplinary and international scholarly community on inclusive citizenship, civic engagement and humanities. (with more than 100 international scholars).

As the first-generation international (woman) scholar, I am proud of being a graduate of Erenkoy Girls High School (with honors) in Istanbul: Leman Tomsu and Munevver Belen, the first two women architects of Turkey (1934) were graduated from the same high school (1929), and it is one of the oldest surviving high schools with its high standards in education in the country. (1911-present). In addition, I am deeply indebted to Dr. Gulsun Saglamer, my professor during my architecture education (Honorary Fellow by the American Institute of Architects and the first woman rector of Istanbul Technical University) for the foundation of my international vision.

Following invitation e-mail by its chair to join the proposal of Women in Architecture Affiliate Group at the Society of Architectural Historians (2019), I was also invited by her e-mail to serve as a member of its "first" Register Committee (2020) and to contribute to its Media and Communication Team (2021). (6). With the establishment of the Registers Committee in December 2020, I submitted my systematic, in-depth and comprehensive research on archival resources of diverse women architects in January and February 2021 (total: 41 pages) as “the first” register of this Committee on archives (5). My submitted systematic, in-depth and comprehensive research study also includes bibliography on diverse women architects.

Finally, I am fanatic appreciator of Stanley Clarke (Grammy-winning bassist, producer and composer in jazz), King Crimson (pioneering band in progressive rock/progressive metal, 1968-present) and Sergei Vasilyevich Rachmaninoff (Western Classical, the late Romantic period). My acoustic Fender along with singing is inseparable part of my life!

As a dedicated architect, accomplished scholar and educator, I am always open new and inspiring projects for a better architecture! For lecture and speaking arrangements, online teaching, collaborative projects, and questions, please do not hesitate to contact me:

meral@meralekincioglu.com

For notes, please click

My profile on Linkedin:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/meral-ekincioglu-ph-d-b649b6b

My profile on Archnet at MIT:

https://www.archnet.org/authorities/2975

My profile on Humanities Commons:
https://hcommons.org/members/meral2020

My profile on Archinet:
https://archinect.com/people/cover/150330395/meral-ekincioglu

My blog on architecture:

meralekincioglu.blogspot.com

My youtube channel on architecture:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQa7o9RHlFNucbNy_mIq2uw

My Membership:
.

• The Society of Architectural Historians (SAH) (2020-present; 2017-2018; 2014-2015)

• The SAH Historic Interiors Affiliate Group, Research Committee member

(2021-present)

• The SAH Climate Change and Architectural History Affiliate Group

(2021-present)

• The SAH Minority Scholars Affiliate Group, (2020-present)
• The SAH Race and Architectural History Affiliate Group (2020-present)

• The Middle East Studies Association (MESA) of North America (2020-2021; 2017-2018)

• The Association for Middle East Women's Studies (AMEWS) (2020-2021)

• SpaceArchitecture.org (2020-2022)

•European Architectural History Network (EAHN) (2019-present)

• The Society of American Archivists, SAA. (2019-2020).

• Northeast Modern Language Association (2020-2021)

• Citizen TALES Commons, Cambridge based multidisciplinary, international scholarly community, founding member (2018-present)

• Friend of Boston Society of Architects (2015-present)(2015-

• World Architecture Community

(honorary member) (2008-present)

• Harvard Neighbors (2006-present)

• The MIT’s Women League

(2014-present)

• The MIT Women Chorale (2006-2007).

• Columbia University Alumni Association, Turkey. (2021-present)

• The SAH-Women in architecture -affiliate group membership

( 2020 - 2022, Sept.) by the chair's invitation e-mail to join its proposal (2019);

its first Registers Committee - membership by the chair's invitation e-mail

(on archives and bibliography,

2021 - 2022, Sept.);

Media and Communication team member by the chair's invitation e-mail

(for “Humanities Common” page, contribution, 2021, August - 2022, Sept.)

Primary (Scientific)
Research Interests:
.
Public health, climate and social justice in architecture (history) with intersectional perspective in the social context, historic interiors with a focus on diverse and inclusive historical documentation.
.

.
Secondary Scientific
Research Fields and Interests
.
Theory and history of architecture profession, architecture design practice, architectural (design) partnerships in professional practice, architectural design practitioner - large-scale client relations (in the private sector), intersectional feminism, intertwined history and politics of gender in architecture with a focus on the postwar period.

Teaching Experience and Interests

• Advanced Architecture Design Studio
• Graduation Project in Architecture
• Architecture as Public Health
• Multidisciplinary Design Territories

in Architecture
• Material and Social Context of

the Architecture Profession
• History and Theory of Modern Architecture
• Essentials of Urban Design
• Basic Design

Languages for Scientific Research

in Architecture:

• English

• German

• Turkish