Conference Agenda

Crenshaw (1989) coined the term intersectionality to challenge "single-axis analysis" of identity and recognize how multiple social categories intersect to create unique experiences of privilege and oppression. This concept, now nearly forty years old, is just beginning to transform the field of design. Costanza-Chock (2020) argues that without embracing intersectional thinking, design perpetually overlooks the realities of those facing multiple forms of discrimination, yet, attempts to apply the concept in design remain limited (Chopra, 2022; Arquilla & Caruso; 2025).  

This is due to design scholars’ recent engagement with feminist thinking and to the concept’s complexity, which resists simplification. The latter is a core feature that characterizes Dominant Design practice (Chopra & Del Gaudio, 2023) and risks treating intersectionality as a "checklist", losing its political value. To meaningfully apply intersectionality, designers must engage with two elements of intersectional thought: pluralism, and contextualization (Chopra, 2022). Pluralism involves recognizing and valuing diverse ways of being and knowing, and understanding that individuals’ multidimensional identities must be considered in design decision-making (Chopra, 2022; Leitão, 2022). Contextualization requires grounding analysis and action in the specific histories, geographies, social conditions, and knowledge systems that shape people’s lives and identities, ensuring responses to inequality are context-sensitive rather than universalized (Chopra, 2022).  

Given the challenges of translating this complex concept into practice and design’s limited theoretical engagement with intersectionality, this exploration aims to advance the practice of intersectionality. It seeks to do so by engaging participants in a collective investigation and experimentation with one aspect of pluralism: how designers can acknowledge and value multiple ways of being and knowing within a design process. 

The exploration will unfold through a hands-on workshop grounded in a real situation shared by participants, centring the embodied nature of intersectionality. It will also explore non-academic textual formats for knowledge dissemination of findings, further addressing the challenge of bridging theory and practice in intersectional design. Hence, this exploration addresses these research questions: How can designers acknowledge and value multiple ways of being and knowing within a design process? What non-academic textual formats can foster understanding of the practice of intersectional thought in design among practitioners? 

The shared real‑world situation to explore the practice of intersectionality is how the DRS conference can continue to enhance inclusivity for attendees at different career stages and from diverse backgrounds. This inquiry aligns with the intersectional commitment to social justice, challenging dominant and universalizing practices, and valuing diverse experiences and worldviews. The aim is to support the conference, as DRS approaches its 60‑year celebration, in strengthening its role as a space that welcomes and honours a wide range of perspectives and needs.