Design process innovation against the epistemicide

The idea of epistemicide, harshly criticized by the Portuguese sociologist Boaventura de Sousa Santos, is the murder of alternative and subordinate knowledge that modernity and its scientific knowledge have systematically carried out over time. In academic schools and architectural studios, the epistemicide is visible when the “element of repetition” inherent to the profession mentioned by Schön in 1983 is confused with homogeneity, standardization, and monotony. For instance, the uncontrolled importation of foreign models and inappropriate conventional technology transfer affect the preservation and dynamic use of local, traditional, and popular knowledge and practices. In line with these affirmations, the article presents an extract of a doctoral research project which addresses a specific modus operandi conceived for sustainable interventions in the informal city. Moreover, it evidences the importance of a design/teaching paradigm shift toward pluriversality and decoloniality through the concepts of collective intelligence, critical regionalism, Social Innovation, and Tecnologías Sociales. In recent decades, the latter has gained significant strength in Latin America through popular and grassroots movements. This approach is intended to be more inclusive of local communities regarding knowledge, processes, and outcomes. It could enrich the training of architecture professionals and students interested in the informal urban phenomenon.