Construction History, Above and Beyond. Setting up a Dialogue with other Historical Disciplines

Numerous scholars have underscored the inherent interdisciplinary character of Construction History over the past two decades. However, interdisciplinary exchanges with other historical disciplines are rare and not always explicit. In the ongoing research project (2022–2026), entitled ‘Construction History, Above and Beyond. What History Can do For Construction History’, 13 scholars aim to set up a true dialogue between construction history and other fields of history, in order to bring out the full richness and relevance of Construction History as an ‘inter’disciplinary link between various fields of history, with mutual added value. The project is strategically built around the dialogue between Construction History and Colonial History, Legal History and Planning History. The systematic and methodical cross-overs in terms of methods, theories and concepts from these fields allows to address important knowledge gaps, for instance by expanding the range of actors, sources and types of knowledge. In this paper, we will discuss the overall set-up, objectives and methodology of the research project, as well as the first insights into the challenges and added value of such interdisciplinary collaborations.