Date:
Location: Shanghai , China
Tradition has always meant different things in different cultures and to various groups of people, encompassing legacies, transmissions, constraints, and their associated attributes. As IASTE has elevated the notion of “tradition” to be a focal point within the global intellectual dialogue, the translation of the term “tradition” itself varies according to historical and contemporary contexts across a myriad of socio-cultural landscapes. For example, in China, the equivalent term “chuan tong” plays a pivotal role in shaping the built environment. Hence, the translation of “tradition”—in both a linguistic and practical sense—has been widely employed but insufficiently debated and defined. As pointed out in previous IASTE conferences, finding the exact equivalents of “tradition” in different cultures and languages is almost impossible. This is even more evident, as its meanings in a single culture may change over time due to its dynamic nature. So, how do we foster dialogues in both theory and practice on an international scale, given the uncertainty of the term’s “translatability”? Would such dialogues enlighten contemporary design practice related to the traditions of the past? How has the development of new technologies helped to facilitate new practices of translation that reshape our relations to time and space in recent years? In this conference, we will not fixate on deriving a shared conclusion. Still, instead, we will strive to focus on the challenging, debatable, and critical processes of translating tradition across different arenas of theory and practice.
With the theme “Translating Traditions,” IASTE 2026 in Shanghai aims to advance this discourse within the IASTE intellectual framework, set against the backdrop of the vibrant metropolis of Shanghai, situated at the intersection of China and the world, where tradition has been dynamically translated, constructed, and redefined. Lying at the crossroads of Eastern and Western culture since the mid-19th century, Shanghai has been translating Western traditions to the East, as seen in its rich architectural heritage, referred to in China as “the architectural expo of the world.” At the same time, it has translated its multicultural traditions into the present through vibrant design practices in a globalized context. Throughout this process, one may ask, for example, in the case of Shanghai, what new knowledge has been produced through ongoing processes of cross-cultural exchange and construction of the modern built environment that came to be identified with Shanghai itself? How have these dynamics ushered in new relations to China’s cultural past and urban identity of Shanghai, which once lay at the margins of Western modernity and the center of Chinese modernity? As we embrace the role of diverse traditions in shaping the built environments in cities like Shanghai, we often neglect to interrogate the crucial temporal, spatial, and socio-cultural processes involved in this translation. This is even more essential in metropolitan places and cities with multilayered histories. For instance, by whom and for whom are these translations intended? Which traditions are chosen or neglected in this process? How can we explain the semantic changes in both physical and non-physical dimensions?
IASTE 2026 will address the theoretical complexities associated with translating the concept across languages and cultures, and examine the practical challenges faced by architects, urban designers, and heritage practitioners in translating and inheriting traditions in spheres such as urban renewal, rural revitalization, and heritage tourism.
Learn more and register: https://iaste.org/iaste-2026-shanghai/
