Design Justice North #23 Unpacking Coloniality in our Design Practice - a Preliminary Co-inquiry

Unpacking Coloniality in Our Design Practice - a Preliminary Co-inquiry

This month we will be joined by facilitators supporting group inquiry into recognising and unpacking colonial patterns in our design roles and practices. We will discuss how paradigms show up as barriers to working in alignment with the DJN principles.

No prior knowledge of the topic is needed. Please join us with a mindset of curiosity, co-learning and co-stewarding for this taster of an expansive and challenging topic that won’t be fully explored in one session. We seek to hold the complexity, confusions and questions that may come up whilst reflecting on this during and beyond the session, rather than seeking quick answers and solutions. Be prepared to come away with more (richer? different?) questions rather than answers!

Co-hosted by volunteer DJN North Node Organiser and User Researcher Toyebat Adewale, User Researcher and Learning Designer Clara Parada, and Futurist, Service and Strategic Designer Eloise Smith-Foster. The facilitators are also on a learning journey in grappling with Coloniality, and seek to contribute as part of the DJN community to co-holding complexity and building this insight together. Discussion will draw on different perspectives, especially the “Coloniality in “Modern” Design” framework shared here by Pause and Effect, Sabrina Meherally and sahibzada mayed (صاحبزادہ مائد) (mayed). We encourage those with capacity to pre-read this resource and engage meaningfully with their critical work.

Agenda:

10 mins - Welcome and session overview
10 mins - Introductions and initial reflections on Colonialism
-> We'll engage on miro for following activities
10 mins - Interpretations of Coloniality and Decolonisation in modern design
5 mins - Unpacking Colonial patterns in our design practice - individual reflection
15 mins - Group reflection and discussion
7 mins - Group commitments and closing reflections
3 mins - Check-out

If you're totally new and are interested in joining us or finding out more, please do come along - everyone is welcome!

We ask that you join us in these care agreements:

• We invite you to leave attachment to having answers and solutions at the (zoom) door, and to enter with an open mind, curiosity and care.

• Consider every activity an invitation you are welcome to engage with (or not) in ways that you feel comfortable (eg. camera on or off, participating on miro or not).

• Remember to check-in with yourself about what you are comfortable to share and respect others' boundaries.

• Colonialialism is experienced very differently depending on our identities, histories, cultures and contexts. We honour the multiplicity of perspectives, stories and experiences shared within the space.

• We understand details of what's shared remain confidential, your personal, anonymised and abstracted learnings may leave the space.

• Prioritise authentic and respectful relationships, active listening and refraining from personal or disparaging comments.

• We commit to accountability and repair when there is harm and relational rupture in the space.

Credit: Agreements inspired by agreements by Either/Org and Pause and Effect's Ways of Being in their Reimagining research course.

Comment on session scope:

This is a space where we can openly name the Colonial oppressions which are so often silenced, invisibilised or denied, such as exploitation, genocide and ecocide to name but a few. We caveat this with a recognition of intent and time constraints, as well as our scope of practice and resource as volunteer co-hosts, which means there isn't capacity to hold deeper dives into specific Colonial topics with appropriate care in this session.

Important information and accessibility:

• This event will take place online via Zoom. We will send out a link to join the session on the morning of the event and 30 minutes before the start time.

• We prioritise making the event as accessible and inclusive as possible so everyone can fully participate. There is an option to share any specific access needs or requests confidentially in the sign-up form.

• If you want to find out more about the Design Justice Network or find a node local to you, you can do so on the DJN wesbite. If you have any questions about DJN or this local Node, get in touch with Toyebat Adewale at Open Data Manchester.

• If you have questions about the event, feel free to get in touch with Eloise Smith-Foster.

About Design Justice Network

The Design Justice Network is an international community of people who are interested in and affected by design and its application.

It challenges the ways that design and designers can harm those who are marginalised through creating systems of power, and tries to create a world that is safer, more just and sustainable. The network is underpinned by nodes of practitioners and advocates who uphold the principles of design justice.