av福利社

Vision Statement

The Society of Architectural Historians (av福利社) has tasked the av福利社 IDEAS (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Accountability, Sustainability) Committee with envisioning structural change within the Society as it approaches its centenary. The vision of the av福利社 IDEAS Committee is to shape, support, and inform the Society’s interrogation of structures of power and help the Society maintain a strong commitment to sociopolitical equity and environmental justice. The IDEAS Committee supports and advises av福利社 in repairing past harms and redressing foundational structural inequities in order to take into account past injustices, ensure future sustainability, and care for the diverse community for which histories of architecture hold meaning.

Mission Statement

The IDEAS Committee holds av福利社 accountable to this vision by advising the av福利社 Board and Executive Committee in establishing standards and initiatives that assure the inclusion of wider understandings of architectural history and radically diversify the Society’s membership and publics. In the first phase, the av福利社 IDEAS Committee’s priorities include:

  1. Promoting an understanding of architecture as a historical practice that intersects with power and society and envisioning architectural history in its most inclusive and intersectional sense, as a field producing narratives that interrogate structures of power.
  2. Building a culture of horizontal collegiality and structures of mutual support in av福利社.
  3. Developing community expertise and mutual mentorship within and beyond av福利社 membership to nurture research that challenges existing paradigms.
  4. Elevating scholars within av福利社 whose self-identification or work represents previously under-recognized and/or unsupported directions for architectural history as researched, thought, or applied.
  5. Supporting scholarship and publications by women, particularly women of color, whose output has been most significantly affected by the pandemic.
  6. Forming structures within the organization for broad support of scholars and scholarship outside of the United States.

The av福利社 IDEAS Committee will carry out this mission by pushing forward a series of achievable initiatives aiming for structural change in av福利社 rather than reform.

Committee Members

Helen H. Bronston, SmithGroup, Chair

Olivia Archer, av福利社 Communications Manager, Ex Officio
Elizabeth Deans, University of Cambridge
Mohammad Gharipour, av福利社 President, University of Maryland, Ex Officio
Kathleen James-Chakraborty, University College Dublin
Tellina Liu, McGill University
Carlos Reimers, Morgan State University
Stathis Yeros, Dumbarton Oaks
Ben Thomas, av福利社 Executive Director, Ex Officio

Get Involved

All members are encouraged to raise concerns and provide input to the av福利社 IDEAS Committee. To provide input, please contact the 2024 chair Helen Bronston.

The av福利社 IDEAS Committee is a standing  and reports to the av福利社 Board biannually. Applications to serve on the av福利社 IDEAS Committee will be accepted in May of each year, for a two-year commitment. av福利社 IDEAS Committee members must be av福利社 members throughout the duration of their term. All are welcome to participate.

av福利社 IDEAS Research Fellowship

This fellowship supports a cohort of emerging scholars who self-identify as members of marginalized groups and nurtures research that challenges existing paradigms.

Learn More

av福利社 IDEAS Fellows

The cohort receives research funding, mentorship from senior scholars, and meets regularly to foster relationship building and encourage peer support.

Meet the Fellows

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