College of Engineering Organizes a Workshop on Autonomy and Historicism in Architectural Consciousness

The College of Engineering at the University of Samarra organized a specialized workshop titled “Autonomy as an Entrance to Historicism: From Formal Understanding to Critical Awareness,” presented by Assistant Lecturer Mustafa Saadi Abdul-Muhsin, a faculty member in the Department of Architecture.
The workshop presented a critical vision aimed at redefining architecture as an intellectual system that produces meaning and identity, rather than merely a transient visual formation. The presentation focused on enabling students to analyze projects within their deep historical contexts and understand the mechanisms of their formation over time. This approach ensures the production of contemporary architecture rooted in cultural identity without falling into the trap of direct imitation.
For his part, the lecturer reviewed the foundations of historicist thought, which views architecture as a product of a living interaction with the past through the concepts of (Totality), (Evolution), and (Abstraction of Elements). He emphasized that Islamic and Iraqi architectures represent a clear model of this epistemic continuity that links civilizations together.
The workshop concluded by noting that historicism represents an effective cognitive framework for addressing the issue of identity, as it achieves the required balance between authenticity and modernity. Furthermore, it opens horizons for innovating architectural forms that carry renewed significances closely linked to their temporal and spatial contexts.