Description: This book is an investigation into the stubborn endurance of tradition in the modern world.
Review Quotes:
How to navigate the tangled discourses and practices that we name 'tradition'? Given the variations across times and cultures, the differences among disciplines and professions, the contradictions among theories, and unprecedented changes due to globalization, there may seem little hope. But, at just the right time, Nezar AlSayyad's book, Traditions: The 'Real', the Hyper, and the Virtual in the Built Environment, has appeared. The depth and subtlety that results from his decades-long study of traditional dwellings and settlements is matched by a freshness that also does justice to new phenomena such as hyper and virtual environments. We could not do better than letting him orient us, trusting him as a guide through this troubled but increasingly important territory. - Robert Mugerauer, Professor and Dean Emeritus, College of Built Environments, University of Washington
"AlSayyad combines a literature review with considered questions about the terminology used to define architectural traditions. He defines the ways that standard practices are influenced by internal and external forces, such as colonialism, environmental change, or economic factors, and traces the ways that tradition is redefined and cultural identity evolves. Complex and erudite, this book is best suited for upper-level readers. It is well indexed and quite viable as a reference source. An excellent addition to programs or libraries specializing in urban planning, anthropology, architecture, or history. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-level undergraduates and above." - L. R. Hudgins, independent scholar, CHOICE Reviews, December 2014