TIME FOR DESIGN ANTHROPOLOGY: REFLECTIONS FROM THE POINT OF VIEW OF ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE

Authors

• Eeva Berglund Independent scholar

Keywords:

design, design anthropology, environment, futures, change making

Abstract

The essay draws on two recent meetings of scholars and practitioners at the meeting point of anthropology and design to sketch out the emerging field of design anthropology. It suggests that this new field offers a practical philosophy through which to engage with the multiple crises of global society. The text connects the rise of design anthropological work with the growing socioeconomic significance of design, but also with the concept of the Anthropocene and the question of how human design shapes planet Earth. If the interchange between designers and anthropologists currently underway is forceful, it is in the conceptual features of design as a human activity that its appeal seems to lie, whether one is seeking to understand social change today or seeking to renew scholarship.