1 Architectural Ethics, Multiculturalism, and Globalization
Michael E. Zimmerman Tulane University

Professional Ethics, Vol. 11, No. 4 (2003), 1-14.
In this essay, I approach architecture, ethics, and globalization from the perspective of postmodern theory, which has both influenced and been influenced by architectural theory. In fact, architects were among the first to utilize the term "postmodernism." By "postmodern theory,” I have in mind positions that on the one hand criticize Western ethnocentrism, metaphysical foundationalism, centered subjectivity, and the idea of progress, and on the other hand celebrate the Others who have allegedly been dominated and/or excluded by the practices and attitudes of Western colonialism. Multiculturalism is the best-known ethical and political trend that has been influenced by postmodern theory. My approach to architectural ethics in an age of globalization will be framed by multiculturalism, but will also provide the occasion for some critical reflection about multiculturalism and postmodern theory. I begin by examining how postmodern theory criticizes modernity and the globalization arising from it. Then, I offer a hypothetical example of the moral dilemmas facing an American architect who attempts to adhere to a postmodern multicultural moral framework, while responsible for designing and helping to oversee the construction of a complex in a southeast Asian city. As we will see, the American architect may bring with her concerns about multiple perspectives and about the oppressed Other that are not shared by her Asian clients. Indeed, they may find such concerns problematic, if not threatening. Finally, having already discussed how postmodern theory helps to contribute to the development of multiculturalism, I will explore how postmodern theory may impede moral activity within the multicultural framework. I. Globalization, modernity, and postmodernity. Global economic integration is taking place at the same moment