Ambiguous Development: Design Thinking and the Perpetuation of High Modernism
Abstract/Contents
- Abstract
- This thesis uses a postcolonial lens to interpret development in India and disentangle the contemporary relationship between development and design thinking. Recently, design thinking, originally a product of design research, has moved beyond the business and academic bubbles and is increasingly applied to development projects. Building on theories of postcolonialism and technology transfer as well as James Scott’s concept of high modernism, I explore the intricacies of power dynamics within development as well as the recent addition of design thinking, asking: What forms has development in independent India taken? How has development been influenced by its colonial past, technology, and modernism? How is the practice of design thinking perceived and adapted as it is transferred? What role is there for design thinking in the future, particularly in international development? These questions identify conceptualizations of international development and problematize design thinking’s rapid adoption. To do this, I look at development in India at two different periods. The first is the state-led infrastructure projects of dam building during Jawaharlal Nehru’s administration immediately after independence. The second is the modern practice of design thinking in development projects today. Using historical and academic texts, I establish that Nehru continued to use many of the British colonial regime’s practices, particularly around the idealization of technology and other high modernist principles to form India as a modern nation-state. I conducted interviews with designers and development practitioners in both India and the United States and code for terminology, principles, and content. I find that design thinking diverges and loses nuance as it is transferred both from the United States to India as well as from design to development. Ultimately, I recommend that design thinking be rethought as a terminology and practice. At the project level, design thinking is rarely useful or fully understood; these problems should be left to designers. Design thinking should continue to be taught, but specifically as a vehicle to help reimagine the purpose and role of organizations.
Description
| Type of resource | text |
|---|---|
| Date created | June 2017 |
Creators/Contributors
| Author | Wo, Bradley |
|---|---|
| Primary advisor | Satia, Priya |
| Degree granting institution | Stanford University, Program of Science, Technology, and Society |
Subjects
| Subject | development |
|---|---|
| Subject | design thinking |
| Subject | high modernism |
| Subject | technology transfer |
| Subject | cross-cultural design |
| Subject | science and technology studies |
| Subject | India |
| Genre | Thesis |
Bibliographic information
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- User agrees that, where applicable, content will not be used to identify or to otherwise infringe the privacy or confidentiality rights of individuals. Content distributed via the Stanford Digital Repository may be subject to additional license and use restrictions applied by the depositor.
- License
- This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license (CC BY).
Preferred citation
- Preferred Citation
- Wo, Bradley. (2017). Ambiguous Development: Design Thinking and the Perpetuation of High Modernism. Unpublished Honors Thesis. Stanford University, Stanford CA.
Collection
Stanford University, Program in Science, Technology and Society, Honors Theses
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- Contact
- bradleyrwo@gmail.com
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