• Glossary

    Autonomous Design

    Radical design approach that acknowledges multiplicity in the context of what is potentially being proposed. The term stems from the critical design studies of Colombian anthropologist Arturo Escobar who asserts that designers should draw from the humanitarian character of materials, culture, politics, epistemologies, and ontologies. He is most associated with popularizing Wlliam’s Jamess concept of the pluriverse, which recognizes the variety of ontologies within respective regions of development. Application of this theory was meant as an attempt to resolve the derogatory comparative analysis of global design through a more inclusive lens as an alternative to the core-periphery model. Escobar additionally addresses the contradiction of the term “autonomous,” as he claims…