Abstract

Struggling in the grip of a global financial crisis, many in the world have begun to question the hegemonic belief that the market is the inevitable source of social ordering—economist Fukuyama’s ‘end of history’ — and the surest warrant of human liberty. For the first time in a generation, politicians, policy makers and citizens are challenging the view that a capitalist global order is the rightful destiny of all nations and peoples. As a result, society finds itself at an inflection point from which might emerge a new balance between the market, state and civil society—domains central to modern conceptions of social organization. Designers traversing a world increasingly dotted with these less settled, more complex economic and political landscapes require alternative models for charting effective, responsible design practice. Frameworks of discernment, questioning, conceptualization and action that emphasize design performance across rather than within domains, encourage connective rather than isolated design intervention, and value balance rather than choice when considering society’s need for liberty, justice and community. This presentation will offer a three-part reflection on one such model.