Platform for Architectural Transfers in the Indian Ocean rim
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UPCOMING
CONVERSATION

13th February 2025
Thursday 5.30 pm IST
Respondent:  Mark Olweny (Auburn University)
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Shifting Boundaries: Architectural Knowledge and Modernity in 19th Century Cairo

Shaikhah Ali Alsahli (Kuwait University)








The boundaries of architectural discipline have continuously evolved, especially its relationship to other fields of knowledge, such as art, science, and mathematics. This presentation traces the early shifts leading to the emergence of a modern discipline of architecture in the Arabic context, focusing on the case of nineteenth-century Cairo. It investigates how architectural knowledge transformed from the traditional artisan apprenticeship training system in madrasa and craft guilds to the rise of modern education of architects and engineers in schools modeled after Western institutions.

The presentation focuses on the muhandiskhanah, the first modern school focused on the knowledge of building, founded in 1816, which adhered to Western methods and French influences. By examining primary sources from this period, this research argues that while the emergence of modern ideas, technologies, and forms of governance in the Arab region is primarily associated with their transfer from the West, this knowledge acquisition was not merely a process of importation and that in the Arabic context, modernity did not emerge from an intellectual void; instead, it suggests that the modernization process and the evolution of modern architectural knowledge were shaped by complex interactions between local traditions and external influences.


Architectural Pedagogy between two Iranian Revolutions
Ali Javid
(University of Technology Sydney)









This talk will review the book The Politics of Architectural Pedagogy in Iran: From Pedagogical Revolution to Revolutionary Pedagogy (1960-1990). The book explores the evolution of architectural pedagogy during two significant socio-political upheavals in Iran: The White Revolution (1963) and the Islamic Revolution (1979). It examines how these transformative periods influenced architecture and provides valuable insights into the intersection of architectural education and broader socio-political shifts in Iran.

By examining the critical role of education in achieving geopolitical objectives during the Cold War, this book explores architectural pedagogy as an agent for resistance and revolution. It highlights how architectural pedagogy not only reflects radical ideologies but also actively engages in socio-political transformation. The book uncovers how architectural pedagogy became one of the mechanisms to accomplish revolutionary goals. This is evident in initiatives like the "Pedagogical Revolution" during the White Revolution (1963), aimed at modernizing educational institutions, and the "Revolutionary Pedagogy" during the Islamic Revolution (1979), which sought to serve the masses and the religious revolutionary society. In this way, the book adds a new geopolitical perspective to the contemporary discourse of radical pedagogies.