The Role of Architecture in National Identity

Recent trends in architecture have increasingly separated buildings from possessing a local, regional, or even national identity. This discussion will analyze the relationship between architecture and communal identity, seeking to explain how certain styles of architecture can build up national identity while others seem to deconstruct said identity.

Stephen Travis Sholl is an MA student at the Virginia Tech School of Public and International Affairs, and previously studied International Conflict and Security Studies at the Brussels School of International Studies at the University of Kent, and holds a BA in History from Freed-Hardeman University. In 2021 he was a fellow of the Budapest Fellowship Program, a joint fellowship program of the Hungary Foundation and MCC. During his studies and work in Washington and Brussels, much of his academic research has focused on transatlantic relations and Central Europe. His first thesis was on the impact of memory politics on Hungarian foreign policy.

Moderator: Milán Bokor, an architect born in Sfântu Gheorghe. He graduated at the Faculty of Architecture and Urban Planning of the Technical University of Cluj-Napoca. After gaining experience in several architectural offices, he founded the Koho Studio company in his hometown with his colleagues. He is the founder of the Folka project (folka.ro), which was launched in the summer of 2022 and creates model designs for typical Szekler landscapes, combining 21st century requirements with traditional forms.

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