Foreign Objects: Architectural History in the Age of Globalization

This paper addresses the theme of global and disglobal networks via the lens of architectural history, pedagogy and historiography. Specifically, it will argue that as currently defined in the United States the teaching of global architectural history is in danger of 1) losing its focus on architectural objects, and 2) of repeating the very gentrifying effects associated with globalization that it seeks to overcome. In what follows I will propose a mode of architectural history that avoids these traps by focusing first on architectural forms and types. Clorinda Testa’s design of the Bank of London and South America in Buenos Aires, Argentina will be used to test this theory. Before examining that object, we must first examine the historiographical context that makes it a relevant case study.

https://doi.org/10.35483/ACSA.Intl.2016.58

Volume Editors
Alfredo Andia, Dana Cupkova, Macarena Cortes, Umberto Bonomo & Vera Parlac

ISBN
978-1-944214-10-4