Interviews

The aggregation of oral histories of women architects in Portugal is a privileged method of building a critical understanding of their reality, beyond a mere statistical approach. The complementation of quantitative and documentary research with interviews will support both in confirming the information as well in expanding qualitative contents, of a more empirical and subjective nature. Oral history and personal narratives are urgent if one considers the aging and natural disappearance of the protagonists in the context of this research. The interviews with key-women architects affirm the need to hear participants’ voices in this story, only possible by recording these testimonials. The expansion of interview types is relevant to W@ARCH.PT, in the sense of building a history of a non-hegemonic profession. This work also seeks to contribute to the construction of a future memory and the establishment of personal experiences. The intersection of crucial moments in the history of architecture in Portugal with the testimonies of women architects will be essential for critical rewriting of our recent history, focusing on new perspectives.