Architect, Activist, Immigrant, Mother: Edith Schreiber-Aujame and the Potential of Female Architectural Agency

Abstract

The work of Edith Schreiber-Aujame has been framed as derivative of or inspired by a host of masculine influences; however, Schreiber-Aujame forged a strong identity and successful career apart from male partners, employers, and colleagues, while her experiences as a woman, immigrant, and mother shaped her professional ambitions and personal politics of care. Following introduction to Schreiber-Aujame, the woman, this chapter addresses her creation of the planning and pedagogy bureau, l’Association pour l’Environnement Pédagogique (AEP). Led by female architects and educators, AEP’s output has been overlooked as the domain of women’s design, while its collaborative methods challenge dominant notions of genius and authorship. Revisiting the life and career of Schreiber-Aujame illustrates the promises and pitfalls of a biographical approach in attempts to historicise, reclaim, and solidify female architectural agency.