Infrastructuring and the formation of publics in participatory design

Abstract

Of late, there has been a renewed and reinvigorated exchange of ideas across science and technology studies and participatory design, emerging from a shared interest in 'publics'. In this article, we explore the role of participatory design in constituting publics, drawing together recent scholarship in both science and technology studies and participatory design. To frame our discussion, we present two case studies of community-based participatory design as empirical examples. From these examples and the literature, we discuss the ways in which the concepts of infrastructuring and attachments are central to the constitution of publics. Finally, through an analysis of our case studies, we consider the differences between the practices of enabling participation and infrastructuring, calling attention to the ways that constituting publics foregrounds an engagement with authority structures and unknown futures through the participatory design process.

An Inclusive, Value Sensitive Design Perspective on Future Identity Technologies

“…It is inclusive in the sense that we are trying to capture a set of design recommendations [below] that can address the needs of the many by having given full consideration to the needs of the few -seeking a 'plurality of voices, opinions and positions' [Le Dantec & DiSalvo 2013] from those publics facing citizenship challenges of various forms. It is value sensitive in the sense that we are addressing the impacts of identity technologies in the longer-term, recognizing a wide range of stakeholders and adopting a methodology that encourages an explicit expression of values.…”

Diálogos democráticos que fazem funcionar as cidades

“…city gardening) or creates new ones. This role has been described in contemporary literature on PD, Design for Social Innovation and Strategic Design (Le Dantec and DiSalvo, 2013;Manzini, 2014). For instance, Le Dantec and DiSalvo (2013) have discussed the role of designers in sustaining and generating 'attachments' to form publics.…”

“…Capacity building is thus defined as a process in which designers develop means to support participants' skills for building communities. The term attachments refers to social and material dependencies and commitments of participants and allows to think about specific ways to involve new participants or keep existing ones committed (Le Dantec and DiSalvo, 2013).…”

Maker Culture Liminality and Open Source (Science) Hardware: instead of making anything great again, keep experimenting! | A liminaridade da cultura maker e o hardware de fonte (na ciência): em vez de fazer algo ser grande de novo, continue experimentando!

“…To describe further these paradoxes behind the DIY practices over OSH or other tools, I will reflect upon the present theories on the convergence between design and politics (Ratto 2011;Ratto and Ree 2012;Dantec and DiSalvo 2013), but also calls for object-oriented politics (Marres 2012;Marres and Lezaun 2011;Weibel 2005). I will show how these convergences lead to similar paradoxes (democratization x resignation on the political, transnational practices x nationalist agenda) and explain why the concept of liminality can help us understand the present dynamic between politics and design in the maker, citizen science and other DIY activities.…”