This seminar talks about historical method via work in progress. Historians Elizabeth Sears of the University of Michigan and Hilde Heynen from KU Leuven will present two twentieth century contexts where ideas about history and ideas about building met. Focussing on the relationships between the Courtauld and Warburg Institutes in London between 1934 and 1964, Sears’ work confronts a project in architecture via the study of historical scholarship. Studying the activities of Sybil Moholy-Nagy across the US architectural scene during much the same period, Heynen investigates a career in historical scholarship predicated on a profound engagement with modern architecture. The day offers the chance both to discuss these fascinating histories and to reflect on the systems of construction that such history writing demands. In the afternoon session six PhD fellows in architectural history, from AHO and its international collaborators, present their work, with roundtable critique, reflection and discussion.

Constructing History AHO 25 October – program