Reflecting on Interdisciplinarit(ies)

Abstract

This article serves as the introduction to a volume dedicated to the question of interdisciplinarity in architectural history. In view of the field’s growing diversity and complexity – as well as the risk of its potential fragmentation – the authors emphasize the importance of engaging with interdisciplinarity in a critical and deliberate manner. The first section traces the history of the concept and considers how architectural history as a discipline has positioned itself in relation to it. The second section outlines the range of methodological approaches and theoretical reflections proposed by the volume’s contributors across its various chapters. While not aiming to capture the full spectrum of contemporary interdisciplinary practices, these contributions offer a representative overview of the trajectories along which the field is currently developing. These include postcolonial frameworks; intersections with environmental history; the impact of digital technologies; the articulation of both material and immaterial histories of architecture; critical engagement with architectural representation and its relationship to visual studies; the transformation of the traditional monographic model; and the role of collaborative research as a driving force of interdisciplinarity, among others.