Conference Agenda

This paper challenges how contemporary design activism has been defined and practised. While Western frameworks have framed activism through countering narrative, raising awareness and social change, this paper proposes a move from a position of countering toward a position of affirming. By looking at the history and current practices of design activism and examining the deficit of the “unheard” paradigm, this paper highlights the limitations of oppositional logics that centre critique over creation. This paper then explores alternative understandings grounded in decolonial, Indigenous epistemologies, and the voices of the global majority. Through examples and case studies, the paper illustrates how creative activist practices can be expressions of lived experiences, tools for radical imaginations and spaces for collective healing and truth-telling. Through this, the paper reframes design activism through positions of affirmation, relationality, and the genuine articulation of pluriversal ways of being, imagining, and creating a better world for all.