Post-humanist Design Education in India: Is “Craft” the Answer?

Traditional approaches in education view pedagogy as a means of knowledge transfer from knowledgeable, i.e., the teacher to the learner, i.e., the students, who lack knowledge and are in the process of forming their understanding (Murris 2020). From a post-humanist perspective, this can be argued as a perspective rooted in a particular worldview, which is patriarchal and humanist, associated with the developed Western world and its colonial influences. Design education in India has been predominantly shaped by Western pedagogical structures, often overlooking how indigenous socio-cultural knowledge and values can contribute to novel pedagogical intervention. This paper explores post-humanist thinking and ways in which it can transform design education enabling designers to adapt to diverse challenges in today’s society, spanning social, cultural, political, environmental, and economic aspects. Post-humanist theorists advocate for a transition to “Post-humanist Design,” advocating for a departure from the human-centered design paradigm and instead emphasizing the incorporation of “more-than-human” elements into the design thinking and methodology (Forlano L, She Ji J Des Econ Innov 3:16–29, 2018). India is experiencing growth in design field, and evolving designer roles require specialized interdisciplinary skills beyond the usual visual and technical abilities. Several design schools in India have embraced pedagogies centered on craft and cultural education. For example, the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) acknowledges the importance of craft-centered thinking in their curriculum, pedagogy, and practices through initiatives like craft cluster initiatives, craft projects, and craft repository. The study, through cross-case analysis method, aims to explore how diving deep in craft-led education surfaces post-humanist values and unique learning experience bringing learners, educator, craft community, indigenous practices together in both physical and virtual environment.