SAH Announces Establishment of Affiliate Groups

The Society of Architectural Historians is excited to announce the creation of SAH Affiliate Groups, a new type of special interest body comprised of SAH members who share a common, narrowly defined interest, scholarly or otherwise. Members of SAH Affiliate Groups will meet in person or remotely to pursue their common interest and may request space at the SAH Annual International Conference to hold a meeting or roundtable to discuss current issues that may be of interest to the larger SAH membership. The SAH Affiliate Groups will have a presence on the SAH website, and more information on how to get involved will be available soon. 

At its meeting on November 8, 2019, the SAH Board approved the establishment of four inaugural SAH Affiliate Groups, listed below. 

SAH Asian American Diasporic Architectural History Affiliate Group
The mission of the group is to build a sustainable intellectual community that supports ongoing research, teaching, and action projects in the interdisciplinary field of Asian American and Asian Diasporic Architectural History. Three SAH members proposed formation of the group, including Lynne Horiuchi, Independent Scholar; Sean H. McPherson, Bridgewater State University; and Arijit Sen, University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee. They were joined by 11 SAH members who supported establishment of the group.

SAH Historic Interiors Affiliate Group
The mission of the group is to gather people together to foster scholarly inquiry on the history of the interior within and beyond the SAH, supporting teachers, researchers, archivists, librarians, publisher and practitioners. Three SAH members proposed founding this group, including Mark Hinchman, The University of Nebraska, Lincoln; Paula Lupkin, The University of North Texas; and Anca I. Lasc, Pratt Institute. They have identified more than 70 individuals who will be included in initial communications about the group.


Photo taken at the Minority Scholars Meet and Greet (SAH 2018 Saint Paul conference), during which the proposal for a related affiliate group was discussed. L-R: Jesús Escobar, Northwestern University; Lynne Horiuchi, Independent Scholar; Itohan Osayimwese, Brown University, Ken Tadashi Oshima, University of Washington, and Charles Davis II, University at Buffalo

SAH Minority Scholars Affiliate Group
The mission of the group is to keep the Society of Architectural Historians engaged with issues affecting minority scholars in the profession, support the professional development of minority scholars, and provide a forum for minority scholars and allies to network. Four SAH members proposed creation of this group, including Itohan Osayimwese, Brown University; Jesús Escobar, Northwestern University; Lynne Horiuchi, Independent Scholar; and Charles Davis II, University of Buffalo.  They were joined by 34 SAH members who supported establishment of the group.

SAH Race and Architectural History Affiliate Group
The mission of the group is to promote the interdisciplinary study of race in architectural history through the organization of thematic roundtables, publication and teaching workshops, lectures and other such scholarly activities authorized by its membership. Four SAH members proposed formation of this group including Itohan Osayimwese, Brown University; Jesús Escobar, Northwestern University; Lynne Horiuchi, Independent Scholar; and Charles Davis II, University of Buffalo. They were joined by 31 SAH members who supported establishment of the group.

SAH is currently working out mechanisms for joining each of these groups and other governance guidelines.

If you are interested in proposing an SAH Affiliate Group, please submit a written request signed by at least three current SAH members to SAH President Sandy Isenstadt at sandy.isenstadt@gmail.com and SAH Executive Director Pauline Saliga at psaliga@sah.org. The deadline to submit a proposal is March 1, 2020. Proposals will be brought to the April 2020 SAH Board meeting for discussion.