The lecture discusses the global circulation of modern architecture by examining the diaries of Iranian travelers who visited Europe in the mid-19th century. Through a mental odyssey, between the self and a pre-imagined other, these travelers developed a syncretic understanding of modernity, by projecting their own expectations onto their observations of European space.

Biography:

Vahid Vahdat is an architect and urban designer with a PhD from Texas A&M University. His primary field of research is the theory and history of non-Western modern architecture and urban space. He has taught architecture studios, lectures, and seminars in many universities in the US and abroad.