2005 Vancouver  SAH

Minutes of the "brainstorming" Meeting about creating a SAH European Chapter SAH Annual Meeting Vancouver, April 7th 2005

The idea of creating a 'Europe' Chapter of the SAH arose in informal conversation during the 2004 annual meeting at Providence. The organization of scholarly meetings with European partners had at the same time become a point of focus for the SAH. It has organized two meetings, one with the Paul Mellon Center in London in June 2004 and one in Paris, with the Institut National d'Histoire de l'Art, to be held between 31 August and 4 September, 2005. The result was the meeting held at Vancouver, April 7th, 2005, initiated by the SAH Officers and led by Christine Mengin and Rob Dettingmeijer. Its purpose was a collective brainstorming by colleagues of both North American and European nationality and residence. The participants in the meeting enthusiastically welcomed the idea.

Frank Salmon, current President of SAH of Great Britain, opened the meeting. He recalled the conditions that had lead to the creation, fifty years ago, of a society of architectural historians in Britain, independent of the SAH, with the aim of uniting colleagues whose interests lay in the history of architecture.

In the discussion that followed, the colleagues in attendance observed the following:

• In each European country, the history of architecture concerns a very small number of professionals.
• This group of professionals is most frequently heterogeneous, being made up of individuals active in art history departments of universities; schools of architecture; and in offices of conservation and preservation.
• There are only few societies for architectural history in Europe. Very few exist on a national level. None of them has a European scope.
• Most of these societies are scholarly very focused (on a period, for example) and gather only one category of architectural historians.
• It goes without saying that no society of any kind exists for all of Europe.

Why, then, create a network of European architectural historians?

• To establish a platform for the history of architecture as a scientific discipline. To benefit an improved academic status, we must achieve a critical mass greater than any that could possibly be enjoyed by a single national group.
• To exchange and communicate calls for papers, job listings, etc.

What shape/form shall this 'Europe' chapter take?

• Considering the questions of whether this chapter should have a thematic focus on European studies, on the model of the recently created Landscape Chapter of the SAH, OR whether it should take the form of a network of European colleagues, the following conclusions were arrived at:
• That the strength of the SAH lies in its character of a generalist organization.
• That the new chapter should welcome all interested colleagues, irrespective of nationality.
• That it should not define its membership along strict disciplinary lines, history of architecture being of interest to architects, historians of art, preservation professionals, archaeologists… (n.b. that this list is not exclusive).

Why, then, create this chapter within the framework of the SAH?

• Because during the sixty years of its existence, the SAH has become an exemplary model of scholarly and professional activity that has increased the visibility of the discipline and extended the circulation of ideas;
• Because by reuniting colleagues around an existing model that is time-tested and of proven validity, it will provide a reference point with the power to unite colleagues coming from different European countries;
• Because, it resolves the problem of selecting a common language, as it naturally follows that English will be the language for the exchange of information;
• Because organizing SAH meetings in Europe would allow those colleagues who do not travel to the Annual Meetings in North America to participate in SAH activities;
• Because the SAH is a generalist society that brings together historians of architecture with diverse professional interests;
• Because the SAH structure allows colleagues to be members of different chapters simultaneously;
• Because many colleagues divide their time between the Europe and North America;
• Because many colleagues have dual focii, European scholars being students of American architecture and vice versa, or study both;

What are the tasks to accomplish before the Paris meeting of the SAH?:

• collect information on pan-European scholarly associations and on international architectural associations;
• become fully cognizant of the organization and activities of  SAH chapters, especially the thematic ones;
• research the kinds of support offered by the EEC to scholarly networks.

In conclusion, it should be noted that the "European Research Area" is presently taking form in the European Union, which makes the creation of an active European network in history of architecture a timely and pertinent issue, as much for financial and scientific reasons. The history of architecture will be strengthened and made more dynamic thanks to the formation of a confederation of European colleagues all sharing common scientific objectives.

Christine Mengin                    Rob Dettingmeijer
maître de conférences                    Associate Professor
histoire de l'architecture                    History and Theory of Architecture
contemporaine                        and Town Planning
Université de Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne        Universiteit Utrecht
duquesnemengin@msn.com                Rob.Dettingmeijer@let.uu.nl
 

The following were in attendance or were unable to be present but expressed interest:

Anthony ALOFSIN, University of Texas, Austin, SAH Elected Director
Margherita AZZI VISENTINI, Politecnico Milano
Mardges BACON, Northeastern University, Boston
Jean-François BÉDARD, University of Columbia, Paris
Inge BERTELS, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (Belgique)
Annalies CANFFERMAN, University of British Columbia, Vancouver
Mario CARPO, École d'architecture Paris-La Villette
Jorge CORREIA, University of Minho, Portugal
Esteban Alejandro CRUZ, ARIA-Assoc. AIA
Dirk DE MEYER, Ghent University/Canadian Center for Architecture, Montreal
Rob DETTINGMEIJER, University of Utrecht
Nancy EKLUND LATER, Princeton Architectural Press, New York
Anthony GERBINO, Worcester College, Oxford
Katia GRILLNER, Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm
Susan KLAIBER, Winterthur (Switzerland)
Helene LIPSTADT, MIT, Boston
Christina MALATHOUNI, University College, London
Bridget MALEY, SAH Chapter Liaison, San Francisco
Christine MENGIN, Université de Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne
Daniel MILLETTE, University of British Columbia, Vancouver
Jan MOLEMA, Technische University, Delft
Dietrich NEUMANN, Brown University, Providence, SAH Second Vice President
Wendy PULLAN, University of Cambridge (UK)
Frank SALMON, Paul Mellon Centre, London, President of the SAH of Great Britain
Nancy STIEBER, University of Massachusetts, Boston, JSAH Editor
Alice THOMINE, Institut National d'Histoire de l'Art, Paris
Renée TOBE, Nottingham University, London
Danilo UDOVICKI-SELB, University of Texas, Austin
Ellen VAN IMPE, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (Belgique)
Wolfgang VOIGT, Deutsches Architektur Museum, Francfort/Main
Volker WELTER, University of California, Santa Barbara