PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — Itohan Osayimwese, chair of Brown’s Department of the History of Art and Architecture, has been elected vice president of the Society of Architectural Historians, the largest learned society in the world for architectural historians, art historians, landscape historians, architects, preservationists, urban planners and other scholars of the history of the built environment.

Osayimwese, a professor of history of art and architecture and of urban studies, is set to begin her term in April before transitioning into the role of the society’s president in 2028. She’ll serve two-year terms in each role, and was elected in the society’s first-ever member-driven election.

“I am honored that my colleagues have entrusted me with guiding the society and the discipline of architectural history during this challenging period for higher education and the humanities,” said Osayimwese, who is also an affiliated faculty member in Brown’s Department of Africana Studies as well as the Center for Caribbean and Latin American Studies at Brown's Watson School of International and Public Affairs. “Working together with the best minds in my discipline, I believe that I can identify and implement strategies to ensure the continued relevance and sustainability of architectural history.”

Established in 1940, the Society of Architectural Historians serves approximately 2,300 individual members and 600 institutional members in 54 countries. In addition to providing a forum for scholarly exchange through its annual conference and study tour program, the society is a leader in international and national historic preservation advocacy.

In her new role, Osayimwese said she plans to focus on the effects of the elimination of architectural history degree programs and reduced research funding at some institutions; the role of generative AI in the field; and the pressures on the preservation of historic sites in the context of war and regime change.

“In addition, I will continue to build the society’s robust initiatives, increase access to architectural history training and related professions, help lead the society to achieve its core mission during this unstable national and international moment, and foster an exciting vision for its future,” she said.

Osayimwese’s scholarship focuses on the relationship between political ideologies and the built environment in sub-Saharan Africa, the Caribbean and Europe between 1750 and 1950. She has authored four books, including “Africa’s Buildings: Architecture and the Displacement of Cultural Heritage,” published by Princeton University Press in 2025.

Her research has been funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, Canadian Center for Architecture, Gerda Henkel Foundation, Graham Foundation for the Fine Arts, and the National Endowment for the Humanities, among others. She was the recipient of the 2020 Schelling Foundation Prize for Architectural Theory.

At Brown, Osayimwese teaches courses on colonial, postcolonial and global architectural history that examine how architecture contributes to larger social, political and economic processes.

She currently serves on advisory committees for the Canadian Centre for Architecture, Rice University School of Architecture, Rhode Island Historical Preservation & Heritage Commission, Thresholds journal, and the Diversity in Architecture Award.