2025 SAHANZ Conference: Extremities

The 2025 SAHANZ Conference, themed "Extremities: South, East, North, West of Architectural History," is organised by the Society of Architectural Historians, Australia and New Zealand (SAHANZ). The event centres on re-examining conventional geographic and thematic boundaries within architectural history, with a particular focus on regions, narratives, and case studies often situated at the periphery of mainstream discourse. Key areas of enquiry include the methodologies and epistemologies that shape the discipline, attention to marginalised or overlooked spaces, and the implications of shifting conceptual and real borders in architectural analysis.

The conference targets academics, researchers, practitioners, and postgraduate students in architectural history, as well as those from adjacent fields such as geography, urban studies, and heritage. By investigating the relative 'edges'—whether geographical, political, cultural, or conceptual—the event encourages critical reflection on the canon, emerging research territories, and unorthodox frameworks for understanding architecture’s past and present.

The keynote speakers and panellists include Professor Anoma Pieris from the University of Melbourne and Professor Naomi Stead from RMIT University, both distinguished figures known for their contributions to architecture scholarship in the Asia-Pacific and Australian contexts. The conference also features a roundtable involving leading members of the SAHANZ community, with participation from researchers and organisations collaborating through paper sessions, workshops, and discussions to advance dialogue on non-central geographies and perspectives in architectural history.

By foregrounding peripheral positions and extreme conditions, the 2025 SAHANZ Conference aims to open up debate on how architectural history is produced, narrated, and valued, contributing to broader questions about inclusivity and plurality in the discipline. This reflective focus underscores the event’s significance as a forum for scholarly exchange and methodological innovation.