Personal profile
Education/Academic qualification
Doctor of Social Science, University of Basel
Award Date: 7 Jul 2022
Master of Arts, University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland (FHNW) Basel Academy of Art and Design
2014 → 2017
Award Date: 1 Sept 2017
Master of Architecture, Università IUAV di Venezia
2007 → 2010
Award Date: 3 Mar 2010
Bachelor of Architecture, Università IUAV di Venezia
2004 → 2007
Award Date: 1 Sept 2007
External positions
Reviews Editor, Architectural Histories Journal
Areas of expertise
- GN Anthropology
- HN Social history and conditions. Social problems. Social reform
- DT Africa
- GE Environmental Sciences
Research Beacons, Institutes and Platforms
- Energy
- Global inequalities
- Manchester Urban Institute
- Manchester Environmental Research Institute
Keywords
- postcolonial studies
- architectural anthropology
- materiality of politics
- environmental history of architecture
- underground research
- history and politics of architectural and urban maintenance
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
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SDG 4 Quality Education -
SDG 6 Clean Water and Sanitation -
SDG 9 Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure -
SDG 10 Reduced Inequalities -
SDG 11 Sustainable Cities and Communities
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Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
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“Shake up the Councilors, Shake Well”: The Writings of Pancho Guedes in Late Colonial Mozambique
Balzan, S., 1 May 2025, In: gta papers. Political Histories, 10Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open Access -
Leaking Regimes: Techno-politics of Swiss Asbestos Cement Pipelines in Southern African Water Schemes (1950s-80s)
Balzan, S., Mar 2024, (In preparation).Research output: Contribution to conference › Paper
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Maxaquene Khovo Students House in Maputo. On Social Repair and Material Decay
Balzan, S., 1 Apr 2024, (Accepted/In press) Repair and Mending Across Africa. Kopf, C., Geissler, W. P., Meinert, L. & Mbodj-Pouye, A. (eds.). Intellect BooksResearch output: Chapter in Book/Conference proceeding › Chapter › peer-review
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Relational Modernities: Pancho Guedes's Social Architecture for the Protestant Missions in Colonial Mozambique
Balzan, S., 2024, Basel: Philosophisch-Historische Fakultät der Universität Basel. 440 p.Research output: Book/Report › Scholarly edition
Open Access -
The Swiss Mission and Pancho Guedes’ Healthcare Modernism in Mozambique
Balzan, S., 17 Apr 2024, (Unpublished).Research output: Contribution to conference › Paper
Prizes
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COST Action CA18137 - Dissemination Conference grant application E-COST-GRANT-CA18137
Balzan, S. (Recipient), 1 Jul 2023
Prize: Fellowship awarded competitively
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FAG Freiwillige Academische Gesellschaft Basel, Writing Grant
Balzan, S. (Recipient), Feb 2022
Prize: Fellowship awarded competitively
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Istituto Svizzero (Swiss Institute) in Milan Research Fellowship
Balzan, S. (Recipient), 1 Jul 2024
Prize: Fellowship awarded competitively
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Josef and Olga Tomcsik Stiftung, Fieldwork Travel Grant
Balzan, S. (Recipient), May 2019
Prize: Fellowship awarded competitively
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SAH Scott Opler Emerging Scholar Fellowship
Balzan, S. (Recipient), 1 Apr 2024
Prize: Fellowship awarded competitively
Activities
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Reading AC Tiefbau (1974–1985): Asbestos-Cement Water Development and the Making of an Ecological Discourse
Balzan, S. (Speaker)
22 Nov 2025Activity: Talk or presentation › Oral presentation › Research
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Liquid Urbanisms in Africa
Balzan, S. (Chair)
12 Jun 2025 → 13 Jun 2025Activity: Participating in or organising event(s) › Organising a conference, workshop, exhibition, performance, inquiry, course etc › Research
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Society of Architectural Historians
Balzan, S. (Chair) & Scotto, G. (Chair)
30 Apr 2025 → 4 May 2025Activity: Participating in or organising event(s) › Organising a conference, workshop, exhibition, performance, inquiry, course etc › Research
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Swiss GeoScience Meeting
Balzan, S. (Chair)
8 Nov 2024Activity: Participating in or organising event(s) › Participating in a conference, workshop, exhibition, performance, inquiry, course etc › Research
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Toxic Modernity: Asbestos Cement in Architecture, Media, Land and Bodies
Balzan, S. (Speaker)
16 Oct 2024Activity: Talk or presentation › Invited talk › Teaching and Research