Arthur J. Penty and the politics of the architectural profession, 1906–1937
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 11344723 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Max Ridge (Princeton University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2024 |
| Volume | 50 |
| Issue | 7 |
| Pages | 1220-1241 |
| Publication date | 2024-10-02 |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | History of European Ideas (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0191-6599 • E-ISSN: 1873-541X |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/01916599.2024.2341681 |
| OpenAlex | W4394877047 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 19 |
The British political theorist and architect Arthur J. Penty (1875-1937) is today remembered as the co-originator of 'post-industrialism' and as the first guild socialist. His writings evince a lifelong aversion to the evils of commercial society, as well as an intense appreciation for Medieval life. Yet Penty's conservative tendencies belie his attentiveness to what Harold Perkin would call 'professional society.' Though he abhorred capitalism, Penty believed in assigning status to workers on the basis of social function and technical expertise. Most surprisingly, given his reputation, he held that the guarantee of such status represented the first step towards a more democratic society. This essay accordingly recasts Penty as a political theorist of the professions. It does so through the analysis of not only his core interventions in political theory, but also his lesser-known trade writings. The first section focuses on Penty's early life and context. The second explains his historical understanding of architectural decline through his contrasting narratives of Classical and Gothic aesthetics. The third section outlines his theory of how to restore democratic architecture in modernity. The fourth section comments on Penty's larger significance in the history of ideas at a time of increasing populist references to 'traditional' aesthetics
Aesthetics · Archaeology · Art · Capitalism · Context (archaeology · Democracy · Literature · Modernity · Narrative · Political science · Politics · Reputation · Social science · Sociology · Architecture, Modernity, and Design · Historical Architecture and Urbanism · History · Law · Philosophy · Walter Benjamin Studies Compilation · Architecture
| Highly cited | No |
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