Collaborative Social Design with Mexican Indigenous Communities: Critical Craft and Transformative Practices

This book develops an original methodology and framework for indigenous engagement and designer/non-designer collaboration in social design. It outlines practical challenges and provides a detailed example of how design and designers can work authentically and responsibly with indigenous communities. It explores the cultural, epistemological, and socio-political history of Mexico and includes field notes, conversations, workshops, and prototypes. The book intersects with the growing awareness of decolonial approaches to design and will be an important study for academics, students, and researchers in social design, sustainable development, cultural studies, and anthropology.

Format: Hardback
Length: 202 pages
Publication date: 16 March 2023
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

This groundbreaking book is a pioneering effort that builds upon the work of anthropologists, designers, and ethnographers to develop an innovative methodology and framework for indigenous engagement and designer/non-designer collaboration in the field of social design. Through a comprehensive case study conducted over a five-year period, the author, project team, and indigenous artisans in Mexico collaborated to explore the practical challenges and complexities of design research. The book provides a detailed account of the research process, including funding, logistics, relationships between designers and communities, failures, successes, and pivots.

One of the key strengths of this book is its commitment to centering indigenous communities. It offers a clear and compelling example of how design and designers can work authentically and responsibly through different approaches and systems. By examining the specific cultural, epistemological, and socio-political history of Mexico as it relates to colonization and indigenous peoples, the book provides a rich context for the research. It also explores the systemic influences of globalization and grounds the research in its unique context.

The book includes field notes, conversations with the indigenous artisan communities, workshops, and prototypes to offer a unique insight into a detailed, collaborative social design initiative. These materials provide a firsthand account of the challenges, successes, and lessons learned during the research process, and they contribute to the book's overall effectiveness in conveying its message.

This book intersects with the growing awareness of the necessity of decolonial approaches to design across the world. It will be an important and useful study for academics, students, and researchers in social design, sustainable development, cultural studies, and anthropology. The book's innovative methodology and framework offer valuable insights into the complexities of indigenous engagement and designer/non-designer collaboration, and it will undoubtedly inspire future research and practice in this field.

Weight: 570g
Dimension: 234 x 156 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781032420134