Calls to decolonise design practice and education have become more numerous, but the term itself is often stripped of its urgency. Decolonising design and design education require thinking otherwise. This session will introduce participants to how decolonial thinking enables us to think differently – otherwise – specifically thinking of history, and the concepts of ‘good’ design and who contributes to it, and whose knowledge is valued.

Danah Abdulla is a designer, educator and researcher interested in new narratives and practices in design that push the disciplinary boundaries and definitions of the discipline. She is Programme Director of Graphic Design at Camberwell, Chelsea, and Wimbledon Colleges of Art, University of the Arts London (UAL), where she is responsible for the BA Graphic Design, BA Graphic Design Communication, MA Graphic Design Communication, MA Global Collaborative Design Practice, and the Graduate Diploma in Graphic Design. Danah has previously held positions at Brunel University London and at the London College of Communication (UAL). She obtained her Ph.D. in Design from Goldsmiths, University of London and is a founding member of the Decolonising Design platform. In 2010, she founded Kalimat Magazine, an independent, non-profit publication about Arab thought and culture. Her research focuses on decolonising design, possibilities of design education, design culture(s) with a focus on the Arab region, the politics of design, publishing, and social design.

www.dabdulla.com