Decolonizing Visualizations
Anthropology as a Critique of Universalism in Information Design
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.22456/1984-1191.147278Keywords:
Information Design, Applied Anthropology, Ethonography, Data Visualization, DecolonialityAbstract
This article explores the intersection between anthropology and information design as a fertile territory for translating ethnographic knowledge into accessible languages beyond academia. We identify that the instrumentalization of ethnography in design constitutes both a methodological challenge and a unique opportunity to rethink visualization practices. We aim to demonstrate how fundamental anthropological principles (alterity, relativism, critique of universalism) can be operationalized in visual forms that challenge hegemonic conventions. We critically analyze the epistemological, ontological, and ethical-political dimensions of this relationship, examining cases such as indigenous mapping platforms and participatory educational visualizations. The results point to an informational design that recognizes the diversity of ways of knowing, representing, and interpreting information, countering the naturalization of Western perspectives as universal. We conclude that this approach transforms design into a laboratory for a public and undisciplined anthropology, capable of reimagining both specific visualizations and the very production and circulation of knowledge in culturally diverse contexts.
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