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Narratives of Continuity and Change in Jeddah

2022; Brill; Volume: 15; Issue: 3 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1163/18739865-01503007

1873-9865

Stefan Maneval,

Archaeology and Historical Studies

Abstract The historiography of Jeddah’s tower houses, from the question of their origin to their abandonment by their Saudi owners, serves as an example in this article of how different imaginary institutions of society inform writings on architectural history. Based on a discussion of books, journal articles and Ph.D. theses by Saudi architects from the 1980s and 1990s, as well as a book chapter by Geoffrey R.D. King (1999), this article emphasizes the benefits of drawing on different types of sources and combining both written and oral methods of data collection. It goes on to examine, from a post-foundational perspective, the ‘central imaginary significations’ (Castoriadis) underpinning these studies of Saudi Arabia’s architectural history. Arguing that the institution of an imaginary social unity and collective identity is intrinsic to critical writing on architecture and architectural history in general, the article suggest that the Saudi architects writing in the 1980s and 1990s were concerned about the perceived loss of their society’s Muslim identity.