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  • Heroic journeys: On design for empowerment and narratives of social change

Santamaria, Laura ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7484-5925 and Kuzmina, Ksenija ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1642-0347, 2024, Journal Article, Heroic journeys: On design for empowerment and narratives of social change DISCERN, 5 (2). pp. 103-121. ISSN 2184-6995

Abstract or Description:

Can empowerment be designed? Designers often claim to empower people and communities they engage with as their ultimate aim. However, a more nuanced discussion on how empowerment by design is articulated, facilitated and achieved through design projects is lacking. In this paper, we reframe the notion of empowerment in design for social change by drawing from social and political theories, and participatory research. We position design research and practice as inherently political, proposing Design for Empowerment principles and a framework co-created with community organisers and social designers through participatory design workshops. Through this approach, we advocate for a shift in designers’ focus from project outcomes to human development, the implementation of power analysis and the adoption of narrative devices to facilitate the elicitation of diverse stories of change in socially engaged design practice and projects.

Official URL: https://designforsocialchange.org/journal/index.ph...
Subjects: Creative Arts and Design > W200 Design studies > W290 Design studies not elsewhere classified
Creative Arts and Design > W900 Others in Creative Arts and Design > W990 Creative Arts and Design not elsewhere classified
School or Centre: School of Communication
Uncontrolled Keywords: Design for empowerment; Power analysis; Design projects; Change narratives
Date Deposited: 18 Mar 2025 11:03
Last Modified: 18 Mar 2025 11:03
URI: https://researchonline.rca.ac.uk/id/eprint/5982
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