Community-Based Design Research: Learning Across Generations and Strategic Transformations of Institutional Relations Toward Axiological Innovations

Abstract

The socio-ecological challenges facing communities in the 21st century are building towards a critical conjuncture of history, culture, power, and profound inequity. Scholars working in the service of social transformation and improving the wellbeing of communities are calling for creative, deliberate, and consequential interventions. Tharp & O’Donnell (this issue) call for increased engagement between Cultural-Community Psychology and Cultural-Historical Activity Theory to lead this kind of call. Drawing from our experiences in community based design research, we argue for cultivating axiological innovations in research and interventions. We explore three examples including: critical historicity, inter-generational learning, and strategic transformations of institutional relations.

Acknowledgments

Chi Miigwetch to the Chicago American Indian community. Your love, resiliency, and leadership are remarkable in all ways. Thank you to Douglas Medin, David Bender, Lawrence Curley, George Strack, Fawn Pochel, Janie Pochel, Felicia Peters, Eli Suzokovich, Mike Marin, among many others, who were all key project leaders in various activities mentioned in this article. Thank you to Mike Cole, Andy Blunden, Angela Booker, and Shirin Vossoughi for your feedback about the earlier manuscript version. Your efforts made this article better.

Notes

¹ Douglas Medin, David Bender, Lawrence Curley, George Strack, Fawn Pochel, Janie Pochel, Felicia Peters, Eli Suzokovich, and Mike Marin, among many others, were all key project leaders in various activities mentioned in this article.