Žena u arhitekturi Sene Sekulić-Gvozdanović: ženska povijest i teorija arhitekture u kontekstu hrvatskoga historiografskog narativa [Woman in Architecture by Sena Sekulić-Gvozdanović: Women’s History and Theory of Architecture in the Context of Croatian Historiographic Narrative]

The book Woman in Architecture by Srebrenka (Sena) Sekulić-Gvozdanović was published in 1998 by the Association of Croatian Architects as a kind of historical demonstration of the existence of female creativity in architecture, and even in the global context it remains a rare attempt of such research in an exceptionally wide temporal and geographical framework. The book had a very long gestation period, as it is based on a series of texts published in the mid-1970s and 1980s in a professional architectural journal, Čovjek i prostor, but also in a magazine intended for an educated female audience, Žena - journal for scientific, social and cultural issues of the place and role of women and families in society, published by the Croatian Women's Union. Moreover, Sekulić- Gvozdanović's work on the female side of the history of architecture coincided with the peak of her academic career, as she was one of the key educators in the history of architecture at the Faculty of Architecture of the University of Zagreb from the early post-war years until the late 1980s, even becoming the first female dean. When the book was finally published in 1998, it became part of a series of books on the Croatian architectural canon of the second half of the 20th century. Its long preparation and erudite style made the book, when it finally appeared, a somewhat outdated undertaking, but at the same time it should be recognised as pioneering for its subject and its transversal approach to issues such as the lack of historical sources, women's participation in the design of space before the emergence of professional (female) architects, research on female patrons and users of buildings, as well as the diagnosis of contemporary and historical gender and professional relations. Finally, the book and its author are part of mapping of the Croatian architectural sphere in the context of socialist Yugoslavia, given its impact on the historiographical narrative and influence on the Croatian public and research space.