Tala Abughadib

Westernised Ontological Design Practices 

​

Westernised Ontological Design refers to ideas and attitudes about the nature of design are fundamentally embedded with western ideologies. ‘Ontology’ refers to ‘the study of being’ - which makes ontological design “the ‘designing of the being of something brought into being’ by design or ‘of itself’ (which is to say all that is designed goes on designing)” (Fry, 2017, p26).  

​

Westernised Ontological design concepts often benefit colonialism. Which is when an entity takes control over another, whether politically or intellectually.  

​

In this research, I discuss the relationship between Ontological Design and colonialism. I. The study of Ontological Design, Decolonising Design, and Pluriversal Design are all design practices to be discussed further as a benefit to decolonising design.  

​

Understanding Ontological Design makes us acknowledge how tools affect our lives and the way we deal with things. In addition, working with oppressed local communities, encouraging the creation of organizations such as Decolonizing Design is another approach to take.  

​

This research responds to ideas developed by Arturo Escobar, Tony Fry, Danah Abdullah, Ahmad Ansari, and Ali H. Musleh.