New Books in Critical Theory Joanna Merwood-Salisbury, "Barbarian Architecture: Thorstein Veblen’s Chicago" (MIT Press, 2024)
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Nov 26, 2025 Joanna Merwood-Salisbury, an architectural historian and author, delves into Thorstein Veblen’s critical views on modernity as seen through the lens of Chicago architecture. She discusses Veblen's concept of 'barbarian regression' and critiques of the Gothic revival at the University of Chicago. The conversation spans topics like the impact of the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition, urban theory related to skyscrapers, and Veblen's connections to reform movements. Merwood-Salisbury's unique insights breathe new life into Veblen's influence on architectural history.
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Veblen As An Urban, Chicago Thinker
- Joanna Merwood-Salisbury argues Veblen's theory is explicitly urban and rooted in Chicago's 1890s context rather than universally placeless.
- She situates Veblen like Benjamin in Paris or Loos in Vienna to restore historical grounding for his ideas.
Barbarianism As Social Regression
- Veblen reinterprets social evolution theories to cast contemporary Americans as regressing toward a 'barbarian' state.
- He links frontier violence and resource grabs to psychological and social backwardness in modern elites.
The Fair Shows Progress And Its Contradictions
- The 1893 World's Columbian Exposition staged progress through classical architecture while also displaying non-Western and native forms.
- Merwood-Salisbury uses the fair to show how Veblen's claim that apparent progress masks devolution operates spatially.
