Emilio Distretti

Emilio Distretti is a Research Tutor at the Royal College of Art, School of Architecture, and a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the History and Theory of Architecture and Urbanism at the University of Basel, Switzerland. His work bridges critical theory, architectural practice, and decolonial pedagogy, with a focus on the Mediterranean and the Horn of Africa.

His research investigates the reuse, deactivation, and transformation of colonial and fascist architectures as sites of repair and reparation. He emphasizes architecture’s role in producing critical knowledge and fostering decolonial relational praxis.

• PhD in Aesthetics and the Politics of Representation, University of Portsmouth
• MA in Philosophy, University of Bologna

His research interests include decolonial architecture, critical heritage, postcolonial urbanism, and the politics of preservation. He explores how architecture can serve as a tool for social and historical reckoning, particularly in postcolonial contexts.

His writings have appeared in e-flux, Cabinet, Journal of Architecture, Future Anterior, and Antipode: A Journal of Radical Geography, reflecting a transdisciplinary engagement with spatial justice and memory.

Emilio is deeply involved in collaborative and educational initiatives. He co-founded the Difficult Heritage Summer School in Sicily with Alessandro Petti, which critically examines Italian fascist colonial architecture through practices of non-preservation and profanation.

He has collaborated with DAAR – Decolonizing Architecture Art Research – and RIWAQ – Centre for Architectural Conservation in Palestine – advancing activist and scholarly work on architectural justice.

Prior to his current roles, he lived in Palestine, where he served as Director of the Urban Studies and Spatial Practices program at Al Quds Bard College and as a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Kenyon Institute (Council for British Research in the Levant) in East Jerusalem.