International Journal of Urban Management and Energy Sustainability

International Journal of Urban Management and Energy Sustainability

Proposing a Conceptual Explanation of “Historicism” in Architecture from Two Distinct Perspectives: Explanatory and Evaluative

Articles in Press

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
Zahra Davari 1
Mohammadmehdi Soroush 2
1 Ph.D. Candidate in Architecture, Department of Architecture, Faculty of Art and Architecture, Ha.C., Islamic Azad University, Hamedan, Iran
2 Associate Professor, Department of Architecture, Faculty of Art and Architecture, Ha.C., Islamic Azad University, Hamedan, Iran
10.22034/ijumes.2026.2078958.1349
Abstract
Historicism is among the ambiguous and conceptually intricate notions that have been interpreted in multiple, and at times conflicting, ways—either in support of it or in opposition. The foundations of this intellectual orientation, in its contemporary form, stem from Hegel’s philosophical reflections on the nature of history. Subsequent to Hegel, various divergent and value-laden interpretations emerged which, according to some scholars, eventually contributed to revolutionary perspectives that produced catastrophic historical outcomes. Consequently, historicism has been heavily criticized by thinkers opposed to this school of thought. From another standpoint, however, historicism may be viewed as a paradigm that arose alongside the intellectual transformations and tensions associated with the emergence of modernity, particularly as a reaction against the purification and absolutization of natural-science methodologies and their uncritical extension to other domains of human knowledge, as well as against the descriptive, causally oriented approaches prevalent in conventional historiography. Within this tradition of historical reasoning—across all fields, including architecture—historical developments and events are examined through the logic of dialectics and the spirit of the age. Any idea or theoretical construct detached from its historical context
Keywords
Architecture
art
dialectics
hegel
historicism
International Journal of Urban Management and Energy Sustainability

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 30 April 2026

  • Receive Date 25 November 2025
  • Revise Date 30 April 2026
  • Accept Date 30 April 2026