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What are the purposes of architectural history and how do they relate to ABE’s mission to look beyond the architecture of Europe and of English-speaking former settler colonies? There are two popular understandings of architectural history. One is strongly rooted in architectural education. The other is gaining ground in city marketing and other tourism initiatives that challenge the primacy of mainstream scholarship in the field. Changes in the way information is disseminated and academic pu...

The structure of this interview will be in three parts. We will start with an introduction to some of your main ideas, particularly as articulated in your book Decolonization, Development and Knowledge in Africa. Then we will focus on how these ideas affect our understanding of architecture, and finally we will explore their repercussions for the writing of architectural history. PART 1 Kenny CupersI had initially asked you to be part of the conference that led up to this double theme issue o...

Commenting on the use of indigenous Moroccan motifs in the official buildings of the colonial government in Morocco in the 1920s, the French architect Joseph Marrast famously stated: “And thus, little by little, we conquer the hearts of the natives and win their affection, as is our duty as colonizers.” What did Marrast mean by “affection”? Did his understanding of affection differ from that of his English counterparts or early modern French imperialists? How was winning affection through loc...