International symposium explores architectural histories
On 6 – 7 May 2025, we hosted an international symposium furthering our academic partnership with Southeast University Nanjing, China (SEU).
27 May 2025
The two-day event titled ‘History as (a Praxis of) Knowledge: New Topics, Methods and Challenges’ is the second symposium on ‘History as Knowledge’, with the first having been held at SEU in March 2024.
Across the two days, we welcomed 60 attendees from the UK and China who hailed from 17 different academic institutions.
15 talks took place during the event and were each grouped by themes, including:
- Agency
- Geography
- Production
- Labour
- Intelligence
- Media
- Knowing
Read more about the full programme in our International Symposium Programme
The key takeaways from the symposium were:
- The benefits of examining architectural methods in a multidisciplinary context
- The importance of engaging in international conversations in scholarly inquiry for a global and cosmopolitan platform to emerge
- The necessity to analyse the impact of digital technologies and artificial intelligence in architecture – both in design practice and in historical research
As discussions ended, all in attendance reached a general conclusion that we must open our minds to the new conditions of our time (e.g., technological, geopolitical, ecological, and planetary) in the shaping of our current research projects and agendas.
Jianfei Zhu, Professor of East Asian Architecture, is Newcastle University’s academic lead in the partnership with SEU. He commented:
‘It was fantastic to welcome students and academics from Southeast University to Newcastle University’s campus.
We are excited to see how this partnership continues to facilitate discussions about the future of architectural theory and once again recognise the invaluable benefits of cross-cultural thinking.’
What’s next for the partnership?
There have now been two symposia on ‘History as Knowledge’. The next focus will be on the topic of ‘Geography’ and there are plans to hold another two symposia; Southeast University in China will host in 2026 and then the event will return to Newcastle University in 2027.
The whole six-year project (2024-29) aims to examine three main topics in architectural knowledge: History, Geography and Visuality.
Impact on teaching and learning experience
As the symposium is a joint project – known as ‘SN Forum’ – taking place at Southeast University and Newcastle University in alternative years, it benefits students in both institutions. The events are greatly beneficial to research students as it allows them to learn from other academics as well as providing the chance to present their own work for discussion.
There are also opportunities for teaching staff to lecture to students in both the UK and China thanks to online learning technology. Professor Jianfei Zhu is a guest lecturer for Masters and PhD students at SEU, and has delivered an annual talk there since 2012. You can find examples of this knowledge exchange here
Last year, we signed a Memorandum of Understanding with SEU which has encouraged their students to come to study at Newcastle University, therefore raising the profile for both partners in China, the UK and beyond. This strong partnership with SEU is a clear example of the benefits of global academic partnerships for research potential and student experience, which can act as a blueprint for other disciplines.