Enterprise Architecture (EA) has grown from a niche technical discipline into a central pillar of strategic management, yet fundamental questions about its definition, value, and measurement remain surprisingly unresolved. This paper presents a systematic review of reviews, drawing on 32 peer -reviewed studies published from 2010 onward, to map the current state of EA scholarship and practice. Following PRISMA guidelines, the review proceeds through transparent screening, quality assessment, and thematic synthesis. Three contributions result. First, we propose a review-derived, integrative definition of EA as "a strategic approach which allows organizations to create and sustain aligned representations of business strategy and information technology," reconciling the long-standing tension between EA as a product and EA as an ongoing process. Second, we trace EA's historical arc across three phases: foundational framework-building, governance and implementation focus, and dynamic capability for digital transformation. Third, we synthesize evidence on benefits, persistent challenges, and evaluation models to produce a forward-looking research agenda. Benefits consistently reported include business–IT alignment, operational agility, and efficiency gains; however, these materialize only when governance, executive sponsorship, and adaptive oversight are in place. Challenges cluster around leaders hip gaps, cultural resistance, governance ambiguity, and communication failures. Evaluation approaches remain fragmented and under -validated, with notable absences of multi -stakeholder perspectives and automated data-collection tools.