ABSTRACT
This chapter explores decolonial, participatory design practices and research through an analysis of two research projects and the work of Colombian sociologist, Orlando Fals Borda. The first research project documented and analyzed diverse artifacts found in the streets of Belo Horizonte, Brazil, which were produced by people with no formal knowledge of design. In the second project, the author worked for a year with a group of residents in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, who were seeking ways to combat a strong wave of violence that was moving through their neighborhood. Both projects examine the confluence of academic and local knowledge, which is similar to the work of Fals Borda. While the first project was of a purely analytical nature, the second aimed to contribute directly to the daily lives of the local community. It was inspired by areas such as participatory design (PD) and design anthropology (DA). With the aim of contributing to the construction of a design process that is relevant to the interests of the local territory in question, this chapter explores what a sentipensante (feeling-thinking) design practice and research would look like.
