Culture to Define a Built Form Morphology: A Traditional Bengali Household

M M Lekhon Alam (Kansas State University)

Since all social life involves meaning and meaning-making, the research interest is related to sociocultural interpretation and meaning of the physical forms and is based on the topic of architectural form creations on the basis of socio-cultural interpretations and human’s emotions. Bengal architecture is a unique example of socio-cultural and phenomenological interpretations and perhaps, "culture & tradition" can be said to be the realm of ‘meaning" and "Bengali Placemaking." Bengal architecture is an example of "cultural meaning," and its "structure" is nothing but the interpretations of human emotions, religious traditions, and social values. Architectural historian and Professor Kenneth Michael Hays says, “The first position emphasizes culture as the cause and content of built form; the task of the interpreter, then, becomes the study of objects and environments as signs, symptoms, and instruments of cultural values.”.

The article will be an exploration of the relationship between Bengali domestic space and cultural tradition through Ann Swidler’s (1986) ‘toolkit,' William Sewell’s (1992) “structure’ within a social system and Clifford Geertz’s explanation of religious symbol and ethos (1973). The focus of the study is the traditional architecture of Bangladesh and the paper will discuss some specific factors of traditional “Bengali household” through these theories, such as relationships between men and women; the daily customs of the family; customs, beliefs, and rituals within the life of the community; hospitality; neighbor relationships; and religious beliefs and practices. Based on case-study research, the article will present the relationship between social, cultural, and religious traditions and the architecture of a traditional rural home of Bangladesh.

Furthermore, the research will be an initiative to establish the fact that the architecture designs have their origins in a tradition deeply rooted in culture and expressions. How can culture, expression and religious values guide design morphology even for this contemporary world?