Decolonising Design & Engineering

YouTube recording with Rolando Vázquez Melken available starting Tuesday, March 2nd 2021 @ 12:40

Online discussion for students & staff: Tuesday, March 2nd 2021 @19:00 (link to VOX Discord server here)

The way we do design and engineering in Delft is most often based on certain values and standards, like rationality, science, sustainability, etc. And we apply it with the typical Delft mentality we are proud of: the “can do” mentality, problem-solving and ready to apply our knowledge anywhere in the world.

But what happens when we reflect on the way our design and engineering impact the world outside of the Delft bubble? When we take a moment to look at other cultures of design and engineering? Applying the perspective of decoloniality to design and engineering provides a way to rethink the Western model of how we shape and give meaning to our world. Join us in exploring this perspective with our speaker, Dr. Rolando Vázquez Melken, Associate Professor of Sociology at the University College Roosevelt of Utrecht University.

SG presents: the Decolonising Knowledge series

This series of events explores the legacy of colonial power structures in society.  

Decolonisation, roughly put, is a social movement and academic project that seeks to empower knowledge, cultures, and peoples marginalized by the  legacy of colonialism and its power structures. This movement also reflects critically on the historical role of universities and Western knowledge production in relation to colonialism. It encompasses issues of race, gender, land ownership, ways of knowing, reparations, resource extraction, rights and representation, and more.  

The program will consist of a core of lecture series introducing the decolonial perspective and its application. There will also be numerous satellite events with master classes, a film night, and discussion groups. 

The Decolonising Knowledge series will be launched as pre-recorded lectures on YouTube on select Tuesdays in February, March, and May 2021. Live online discussion sessions will be organized on Tuesday evenings via VOX Delft, the open discussion platform of the TU Delft. You can join them for free through the VOX Discord server here. Download the Discord app beforehand (also free) if you want to be able to see other peoples’ video. You can find some tips here to get you started on using Discord.