From the University to the Pluriversity? A Reflexive Critical Literature Review of Indigenous Artisan Community Engagement in Decolonial Education and Knowledge Co-Production with Design Programs in Latin America

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Sebastián Maya Tapiero
Diana Albarrán González
Angus Donald Cambpell

Abstract

Decolonization initiatives in design have sparked growing interest among academics worldwide. While these initiatives foster collaborative design with diverse communities in Latin America, their theories and practices often diverge significantly. How to critically integrate these decolonial models into learning processes and knowledge creation with other communities within the university? To address these questions, we undertake a reflexive critical literature review from an artisanal perspective, moving away from objective systems and standardized measurements of knowledge, integrating our experiences, and highlighting our concerns as educators and students from the Global South. This review highlights two key themes in decolonial studies literature: understanding power relations and the roles in knowledge production, and identifying prevailing ideas and practices in knowledge creation with other entities. Using this information, we establish a three-way conversation to examine the limits of neoliberal modern-colonial education within reflexive critical practice, drawing on our own experiences and positionalities.

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How to Cite
Maya Tapiero, S., Albarrán González, D., & Cambpell, A. D. (2024). From the University to the Pluriversity? A Reflexive Critical Literature Review of Indigenous Artisan Community Engagement in Decolonial Education and Knowledge Co-Production with Design Programs in Latin America. Diseña, (25), Article.1. https://doi.org/10.7764/disena.25.Article.1
Section
Original Articles (part 1)
Author Biographies

Sebastián Maya Tapiero, Waipapa Taumata Rau | University of Auckland

PhD candidate, Waipapa Taumata Rau | University of Auckland. Assistant Researcher and Lecturer at the University of Auckland. He holds a Master’s in Science and Arts from Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana – Xochimilco and a Bachelor’s in Industrial Design from Universidad Nacional de Colombia - Palmira. His scholarly is centered on the generation of technological knowledge within the specific socio-cultural context of Latin America, examining the interplay between design practice, educational frameworks, and marginalized production practices. He is the author of ‘A Reflexive Educational Model for Design Practice with Rural Communities: The Case of Bamboo Product Makers in Cuetzalan, México’ (LINK 2021).

Diana Albarrán González, Waipapa Taumata Rau | University of Auckland

Design researcher, craftivist, and Programme Director of the PhD in Design in the Faculty of Creative Arts and Industries at Waipapa Taumata Rau | University of Auckland. She holds a PhD in Māori and Indigenous Development from Auckland University of Technology, a Master’s degree in Design Management from Universitat Politècnica de València, and a Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Design from Universidad Autónoma de Guadalajara. Her research explores design and different ways of collaboration from decolonial, intersectional, and pluriversal perspectives, examining collective well-being, Indigenous knowledge, craft-design-art, textiles, embodiment, and creativity. Some of her latest publications include ‘Towards Co-creating the Praxis of Teaching Design from Decolonial, Intersectional and Pluriversal Approaches’ (co-authored with L. Rezende, N. St John, and F. Suhendra; Art, Design & Communication in Higher Education, Vol. 23, Issue 2); ‘Embroidery to Repair Life: Body-Territory Mapping and Collective Embroidery’ (with Colectiva Malacate, Diseña, Issue 24); and ‘Woven Decolonising Approaches to Design Research: Jolobil and Mahi Toi’ (with J.K.T. Wilson; In The Routledge Companion to Design Research, 2nd ed., Routledge, 2023).

Angus Donald Cambpell, Waipapa Taumata Rau | University of Auckland

Head of the Design Programme in the Faculty of Creative Arts and Industries at Waipapa Taumata Rau | University of Auckland. He holds a Doctorate of Literature and Philosophy in Development Studies from the University of Johannesburg and a Master of Technology in Industrial Design from the Technikon Witwatersrand. His university lecturing, practice-based research, and freelance design experience are focused on critically exploring the power of design to creatively, collaboratively, and sustainably innovate at the complex nexus of social, technological, and ecological systems, addressing pluriversal design, development, the Global South, inequality, Indigenous knowledge systems, and decolonization. Some of his latest publications include ‘Advancing Afrikan Sustainable Design’ (co-authored with Y. Rapitsenyane; in African Industrial Design Practice, Routledge, 2023); ‘Haptic HONGI: Reflections on Collaboration in the Transdisciplinary Creation of an AR Artwork’ (with M. Gunn, M. Billinghurst, W. Lawn, P. Sasikumar, and S. Muthukumarana; in Creating Digitally: Shifting Boundaries: Arts and Technologies—Contemporary Applications and Concepts, Springer, 2023); and ‘South-South Dialogues around Buen Vivir-Centric Design’ (with D. Albarrán González, Diseña, Issue 21).

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