Design Thinking Collective – Crossmopollinate

Methodological guidelines

Transcultural:

Culture permeates every aspect of human life. It is a vital concept that deserves careful attention. However, the existing definitions of culture, which tend to emphasise fixed, bounded entities, are increasingly inadequate for the world we inhabit. Instead, we argue that the transcultural paradigm recognizes the highly entangled and interconnected nature of cultures that is needed to fully capture the complexity of real human experience. Adopting a transcultural paradigm will not only enhance our understanding of diverse cultural practices but also greatly benefit real-world research by facilitating more nuanced and sensitive analyses of complex social phenomena.

Horizontality

The concept of horizontality is a cornerstone of our research collective, serving a twofold purpose. Firstly, we are committed to employing non-hierarchical research methods that prioritise the co-production of knowledge. In our view, knowledge production is not a unidirectional process; rather, it is a collaborative effort that involves the active participation of all stakeholders. Secondly, horizontality also pertains to the structure of our research collective, as all administrative roles will be subject to rotation, thereby ensuring shared accountability. By embracing this approach, we seek to foster a culture of mutual respect, inclusivity, and transparency, while simultaneously advancing our research agenda in a meaningful and equitable manner.

Mode of conducting research:

We believe in the transformative potential of Transcultural studies and hope to create an interdisciplinary network of cultural and anthropological scholars, filmmakers, artists, engineers, scientists, urban planners, architects and geographers who can expand and evolve the Transcultural paradigm in praxis. We hope to be able to find use for transcultural studies as a mode of problem solving. Our vision for problem-solving is grounded in a collaborative practice that encompasses fieldwork, critical assessment of local conditions, and the co-production of knowledge. By engaging in this process, we hope to gain a deeper understanding of the challenges facing our communities and contribute to their resolution through innovative and holistic solutions.

Visualising research:

As a research collective, we recognize the value of incorporating visualisation methods such as photojournalism, documentation, infographics and video works into our research methodology. By prioritising the use of visual representation, we seek to provide a more comprehensive and nuanced understanding of real-life interactions and situations that cannot be adequately conveyed through text and theories alone. Our goal is to implement diverse modes of investigation that prioritise individual experiences, recognizing the unique perspectives and insights that can be gained through personal encounters and visual documentation. By embracing this approach, we hope to develop a research methodology that is both rigorous and accessible, allowing us to engage with a wider audience and make meaningful contributions to our field.

Overarching methodological themes:

Citizenship as method:

We see citizenship as a core theme in our research methodology. The notion of citizenship may be understood as the primary connection between the state and policy making, and people and their position within the communities they inhabit. Prioritising therefore, citizenship helps us understand the bureaucratic relationships between the state and those who are included. It is then subsequently key to understanding processes of exclusion. Furthermore citizenship is a transcultural category, dealing with notions of nationhood, mobility and thereby human rights. Through the methodology of the collective, we aim to bridge the gap between transcultural thought and action by bringing questions of cosmopolitan citizenship into human rights and policy discourse.

Care as method:

The themes of care and labour are central to our methodology. Drawing from The Care Manifesto, we see a need for the semantics of care to go beyond intimate and interpersonal relationships and be integrated into the logics of policy making and community building. While making real-life policies in capitalist society, the emotional load of autonomous individuals shouldn’t be undermined. The often unseen and invisible economies of care and empathy within communities must also be a logic of shaping research, prioritising emotional labour as a mobilising force for community based research practice that subsequently translates to policy and action. By prioritising well-being and community, we want to move away from an extractive mode of conducting research and move towards a more collaborative mode in producing knowledge. Furthermore, we consider it imperative to be sensitive and reflexive about our own positionality in research- considering reflexive positionality as a key point of our ethical framework.

Self representation as method:

In highlighting the notion of care, we want to emphasise the necessity in suggesting different modes of visualisation. The methods that could be implemented in this regard comprise of photojournalism, visual documentation as well as different modes of self-representation. By engaging in the act of visualising and uncovering the processes, we are able to unveil diverse dynamics concerning care, labour, and lived experiences. Rather than speaking for people in a ‘subject’ position, our research method aims to break down the traditional subject-object positions in research. The collective will focus on story-telling and speaking about oneself as a mode of knowledge production. We believe in the process of collaborative knowledge-making, striving for a multidirectional approach to constructing reality. This we believe calls for an active mode of unlearning.

Our methodology prioritises the recognition and analysis of diverse forms of labour. By shedding light on labour, we aim to bring attention to the often-overlooked and exploited forms of work, including formal, informal, emotional, physical, gendered, ecological, and beyond. We recognize labour as a fundamental mechanism that sustains a multitude of structures and economies, including financial, familial, and political systems.