The Favored Circle: The Social Foundations of Architectural Distinction

The popular view of architecture focuses on individual creative geniuses, those who
have designed the most "significant" works. According to Garry Stevens, however, successful
architects owe their success not so much to genius as to social background and a host of other
factors that have very little to do with native talent. To concentrate only on the profession of
architecture is to ignore the much larger field of architecture, which structures the entire social
universe of the architect and of which architects are only one part. This book critically surveys
that field, exposing many myths and debunking a number of heroes in the process.Using the conceptual
apparatus of French sociologist Pierre Bourdieu, Stevens describes the field of architecture on two
levels. First, he provides a detailed account of the field as it is at any given point in time,
describing the different components and their relationships. Second, he analyzes the dynamics of the
field through time, from the Renaissance to the present. He discusses the system of architectural
education, as well as everyday aspects such as the competition for reputation. He concludes that
throughout history, the most eminent architects have been connected to each other by master-pupil
and collegiate relations. These networks, which still exist, provide a mechanism for architectural
influence that runs parallel to that of the university-based schools.