Conceptual Groundings of Intermediary Practices

Research on intermediaries is not new. In this chapter, we present a short history of how the discourse on intermediation practice has evolved over time, and discuss why it is timely to now look at the role of the intermediary and their practice in a more explicit manner. We also trace and connect different lineages and lines of thoughts that have developed in different disciplines—often with few lateral linkages. We connect these developments with debates and knowledge gaps in design thinking and the wider creative industries.