Participation reimagined: co-design of the self through territory, memory, and dignity

ABSTRACT

Participation is a key theoretical and methodological aspect at the nexus of tensions between design as professional practice and design in community settings. In this article, we navigate some of these tensions by thinking with a case of community-based co-design in Colombia. We build on the work of participatory design scholars to surface the challenges posed by participation when dealing with design’s critical examination, and the need for new frameworks for theory and practice, especially when working with historically underrepresented populations. Using narrative inquiry, we centre and explore the methodology used by an ‘experiencia comunitaria’ (communal experience) in Colombia: the ‘Saber y Vida’ programme. We highlight three key aspects of the programme’s propositions: (1) identity as an anchor to participation; (2) symbolic language as a device mediating between individuals and communities; and (3) dignity as a pre-condition to participation. We end by reflecting on how these features are in tension and resonance with current design theory and practice.

KEYWORDS:

• Participation
• co-design
• memory
• territory
• identity
• community

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to honour Jesús Giagrekudo “Erikona”, elder knower from the Minika (Muina Murui) community, who planted his word in ‘Saber y Vida’ since 2014. They would also like to acknowledge the direct and indirect contributions of all members of the Intercultural Network of Ancestral and Traditional Knowledges of Colombia, and to thank all the collectives, movements, communities, institutions, individuals, and the spiritual, ancestral, and earth beings that have helped sustain the ‘Saber y Vida’ initiative. They also honour the ancestral medicines of the different communities that have been part of the process. Finally, they thank the Instituto de Estudios Políticos y Relaciones Internacional (IEPRI) and professors Fabio López de la Roche and Maria Teresa Pinto, for helping knit el saber para la vida from the university.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1. A ‘House of Thought’ is a space with sacred connotations for different indigenous peoples.

2. All quotes are translated by the authors from Spanish and collectively reviewed with those who offered them.