Participatory design through a cultural lens: insights from postcolonial theory

This paper examines challenges faced in participatory design's confrontation with cultural complexity in contexts of intercultural encounter and transnational exchange. We argue that there is need for more elaborate approaches to culture, technology, and participation in relation to participatory design. By examining issues at the crossroads between knowledge and power, agency and representation we identify a variety of ways in which Postcolonial Theory might inform Participatory Design.