ISVS Seminars and the ISVS e-journal Featured in a Major Book on Amos Rapoport:
ISVS seminar and the ISVS e-journal have recently been featured in a ground-breaking book on architecture and culture. Routeledge has published in 2024, the book titled "Theorizing Built-form and Culture: The Legacy of Amos Rapoport", edited by two erudite scholars from USA: Prof. Kapila Silva and Dr. Nisha Fernando, both disciples of Amos Rapoport. As known, Prof. Amos Rapoport has been a pioneer who has examined the profound relationhip between architecture and culture and has publlished on this issue extensively. His ground-breaking book "House Form and Culture" is known to all the architects across the world. This new book that celebrates the life-time contribution of Prof. Amos Rapoport to architecture and culture carries a chapter titled 'Theoretical Inspirations of Amos Rapoport: The International Studies on Vernacular Settlements (ISVS) by Dr. Ranjith Dayaratne, the editor-in-chief of the ISVS e-journal. This chapter demonstrates how the ISVS is inspired by the work of Prof. Amos Rapoport and carries his ideas forward through the prsentations at the ISVS seminars and the publications through the ISVS e-journal. Please see the chapter below.
Chapter in the Book: Theorizing Built-form and Culture - The Legacy of Amos Rapoport
The Book has received the EDRA Achievement Award - 2024.
About the ISVS e-journal
ISVS e-journal is fully open access. It publishes papers on human settlements looking into the acts of inhabiting their spaces manifesting in the production of culture, space and society and their multi-faceted manifestations. These include architecture, 'design' related activities, food production, rituals and visual and performing arts, and all other outcomes and practices resulting in the interractions between people, environments and places. The subject matter can thus include all aspects and 'happenings' involving ordinary people. The research could look at social geography, people-place interractions and even peri-urban and urban settings where vernacular practices exist. All the issues related to architecture and built-environments can be looked at.
Frequency of Publication
When the journal was first launched in 2013, it published two issues per year until 2019, and then it published 4 issues per year from 2019 to 2022. During this time, 5-6 issues per year were published including special issues. At that time, ISVS seminars were held once every two years and this frequency corresponded with the ISVS e-journal. Due to the fact that the ISVS seminars began to be held every year and with the increased interest in architecture and culture, the journal was published every month in 2023 and 2024. However, it is now published 6 times a year since Jan 2025: once every two months.
Peer-Review and Quaity of the Contents
The papers published in the ISVS e-journal are blind peer reviewed by two reviewers before publication. They are original and are usually direct submissions. Earlier versions of them may have been presented at the ISVS seminars, or any other conference. However, papers unrelated to 'happenings' in settlements or architectural spaces are not accepted.
What and Where is Vernacular
Vernacular is one way in which architecture and culture manifest but is not the only way. Vernacular, however, has been grossly misunderstood. The popular perception is that vernacular exists only in the rural, tribal settings and that the vernacular settlements are only those settlements that have existed in the past. This is a narrow view of vernacular. We take a broader perspective that extends the definition of vernacular as they have manifested from the historical vernacular to the contemporary modern world. The position of the ISVS e-journal thus, is that treating vernacular as ‘a thing of the past’, tribal villages and remote rural settlements is not a theoretically justifiable position to adapt. Instead, the ISVS e-journal articulates how vernacular exists even in the contemporary modern world including in cities. That is what ISVS e-journal aspires to promote academically to interrogate so that we can construct a more holistic understanding of the vernacular processes and practices. To understand this theoretical position, please read the article below.