In the line of the spatial turn in cultural studies the concept of „lived space“ goes beyond mere function of architecture, buildings and built spaces. The spaces are produced by what people do in and with them. Viceversa every activity leaves traces and changes in the spaces where they „have taken place“ (Lefebvre 1974; Löw 2000; Smith 1987). Architecture as built spaces will be understood in this panel as places of communication and practices, where media, such as scribblings and texts, image(-objects), dresses (and bodies), as well as surfaces, take part in the interaction between people (users, visitors, passers-by) and between people and the material dimensions of the space.

Methodologically, reconstructing communicational patterns and practices can only be based on a close archaeological analysis of contexts and findings in combination with other disciplines including bio- and geo-archaeology, architectural history, and the text-based disciplines (epigraphy, ancient history, philology, theology). But also approaches from social science such as practice and communication theory or sociology of architecture (Bordieu 1972; Löw 2000; Mannheim 1922; Reckwitz 2003; Scheeßel 2006) as well as from the more recent field of environmental history (Zapf – Schmidt 2021) help untap the roles and effects of architectural spaces in societal processes: communicating positions, negotiating relations, making power claims, anchoring memories, relating to the deities in and through the built environment of cities, villages, monasteries, sanctuaries, houses, and workshops.

Against this backdrop the contributions to this panel we will i. discuss the applicability of architectural typologies; ii. test the interpretational tools from practice and communication theory for pinning down various options of a building's utilisation; iii. investigate the role of architecture and built spaces in establishing community and identity; iv. analyse the intertwined relation of sacralised and profane spaces; v. examine the overlapping of subjects and objects in the process of the production of spaces.

References: P. Bordieu, Esquisse d'une théorie de la pratique (Paris 1972); H. Lefebvre, La production de l'espace (Paris 1974); M. Löw, Raumsoziologie (Frankfurt 2000); K. Mannheim, Eine soziologische Theorie der Kultur und ihrer Erkennbarkeit“ (ca. 1922); N. Müller-Scheeßel et al. (eds), Der gebaute Raum: Bausteine einer Architektursoziologie vormoderner Gesellschaften (Tübingen 2006); A. Reckwitz, Grundelemente einer Theorie sozialer Praktiken: Eine sozialtheoretische Perspektive, Zeitschrift für Soziologie, 32, 2003, 282–301; J.Z. Smith, To take Place: Toward Theory in Ritual (Chicago 1987); H. Zapf – M. Schmidt (eds), Environmental Humanities: Konzepte, Themen, Forschungsperspektiven (Göttingen 2021)