Globalby Tasoulla Hadjiyanni, Ph.D. and Debra Lawton
Decolonizing has now been embraced as core to many institutions around the country, albeit one that is fraught with tensions and challenges. Decolonizing “…compels all of us to take a stand as it calls for identifying systems of exclusion as well as working to change them” (Hadjiyanni, 2019, p.3).
Unpacking systems of exclusion however, should not be restricted by geographical boundaries—current efforts to decolonize design education are often centered on US-based experiences. This focus risks stories of trauma and exclusion from other parts of the globe being lost opportunities for nurturing among students’ a deeper sense of global citizenship. Embracing a global decolonizing vision brings forward the question of how design educators can cultivate and identify partnerships that could be enmeshed into design curricula.
This article draws on an interdisciplinary and transatlantic partnership between Dr. Tasoulla Hadjiyanni (interior design) and Debra Lawton (graphic design) at the University of Minnesota. Hadjiyanni has been leading the curation of the Memorial for Kontea’s Killed and Missing in Cyprus for the past three years through a community-engaged process. The 1974 Turkish invasion divided the island and resulted in thousands killed or missing. Nine of those individuals come from Hadjiyanni’s now occupied village of Kontea. The memorial, titled “Learn their stories,” includes sculptures from 10 local artists that honor the lives lost, help surviving family members heal, and instill resilience to future generations.
In Fall 2022, Hadjiyanni connected with Lawton through the design course Des 3352 – Identity and Symbols to: a) help spearhead the memorial’s graphic identity and strengthen fundraising efforts, and b) expose students to the traumatic remnants of colonialism and their present ramifications.
Planning for the course required navigating expectations and solidifying commitment. Instead of mandating the project for the entire class, Lawton gave students three options to choose from, fostering autonomy and a stronger connection to the project. Lawton also considered time zone differences while synchronizing the course schedule, aligned outcomes with the course's learning objectives, and guided students’ in building foundational knowledge through exposure to Cyprus history, language, and symbolism (see example from logo development in Figure 1). Representatives from Kontea and Professor Rebecca Krinke (Landscape Architecture) attended studio presentations and critiques via synchronous online meetings and helped select the winning design by Andrew Lafferty (Figure 2).
The challenge of a global engagement intensified students’ work ethic - they recognized the value of design and their skills as visual communicators and wanted to “get it right.” In Lafferty’s words: “As a human, I was honored to work on a project that truly means something to other people. This was the first opportunity I ever had to do something like this.”
Ethan Favour’s reflection speaks to how exposure to unknown stories can ignite students’ sense of responsibility: “As a human hearing stories of struggle and resilience, I am very interested in learning how being a refugee or being generations removed from being a refugee can affect your traditions and stories.”
Internationalizing the curriculum and enhancing the identity of students as global citizens do not require getting on a plane. Two interventions can amplify these efforts: a) capitalizing on international faculty connections, and b) infusing space and time for cross-disciplinary learning innovations. Implications include encouraging and supporting international faculty in sustaining relationships overseas; finding ways for performance evaluations to account for the additional workload embedded in such partnerships; and giving visibility to global engagements as a means to inspire and propel others.
Tasoulla Hadjiyanni is Professor of Interior Design and Debra Lawton is Senior Lecturer of Design, both in the College of Design
References: Hadjiyanni, T. (2020). Decolonizing interior design education. Journal of Interior Design, 45(2), 3-9.