Re-imagining Education
an exploration through design anthropology and visual ethnography
Re-imagining local education systems in
Sri Lanka through Design Anthropology
My research project was focused on exploring how design anthropology could be used as a tool to re-imagine local education systems in Sri Lanka. The project culminated from fieldwork in Sri Lanka that focused on testing a five-hour long design session with a diverse group of researchers and educators. This was followed by a visual ethnography component that followed three local educators from the village of Wanathawilluwa. Through these ethnographic findings and field observations, I argue that design anthropology presents a unique toolbox for collaborative, participatory, solutions-driven forms of community engagement that aim to radically re-imagine everyday structures of power.
This thesis was submitted in partial fulfillment of the prerequisite for honors in anthropology and was one of the first collaborative ethnographic projects to be produced at the department.
Field work
Field work for this project was carried out in Colombo; the capital city of Sri Lanka and a small fishing village by the name of
Wanathawilluwa. The project comprised of a series of design sessions that brought together local educators, activists, policy-makers,
corporates, parents and students to collectively re-imagine what the future of education could look like. The group that came together
in December 2018 is now a growing coalition for brainstorming and grassroots action.
If you want to run a design session centered around education or want to know more about the session rundown I’ve linked the slide deck
here for reference.
Re-imagine Education; a design session held in Colombo
Lahiru, a teacher and part-time crab fisherman
from Wanathawilluwa with his catch for the day
The Mailankulama school hall where three grades
are simultaneously taught.