Author Meets Critics Roundtable on Elise Edwards' Architecture, Theology, and Ethics: Making Architectural Design More Just

This roundtable conversation about Architecture, Theology, and Ethics: Making Architectural Design More Just by Elise M. Edwards (Lexington Books, 2024) discusses emerging scholarship on spatial constructions of religion and the production and use of everyday spaces through architectural design practices. Grounded in liberationist, feminist, and womanist thought, Architecture, Theology, and Ethics makes a compelling case for architecture’s relevance to Christian ethics, aesthetics, and theology. Edwards argues that architectural design can be a form of prophetic action that everyday people undertake when making choices that shape the spaces they inhabit. The roundtable brings together four readers of the book to reflect on its significance for Black life and culture, theological ethics, religious architecture, urban infrastructure and redevelopment, and gentrification, followed by a response from the author. This interdisciplinary conversation reflects the book’s approach as well as current trends in religion and cities scholarship and community-engaged work.