Keith Bresnahan

I am a historian and theorist of design, focusing broadly on histories of the built environment (architecture, urbanism, interior design) and visual communication (graphic design, illustration, typography). I hold a PhD in Social and Political Thought from York University; my other degrees are in Theory & Criticism (Western) and Art History (Calgary). My research focuses on three key areas: histories of architecture and emotion; ruins, destruction, and reconstruction; and visual symbols/pictographic language. I am currently completing a book on emotion and spatial violence in Paris after the 1871 Commune; other ongoing projects include a study of architectural destruction from antiquity to the present, a study of symbols and pictographs in post-WWII culture, and the first historical survey of graphic design in Canada.

* Please note that I am on sabbatical during the 2024-25 academic year and am not accepting new graduate supervisions at this time