What might feminist pragmatist methods of engagement have to offer to design efforts aimed at catalyzing and sustaining change in complex systems? This article examines two systemic social design initiatives emerging from classical feminist pragmatists that illustrate their core commitments and social change methods. These initiatives highlight four strategies found to be critical to feminist pragmatist social design inquiry: 1) situated and relational exploration across diverse communities, 2) iterative and experimental prototyping, 3) a willingness to accept incremental change, and 4) a commitment to deep and sustained engagement within communities.

systemic design, feminist pragmatism, Jane Addams, Julia Lathrop, Grace Abbott, social design
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© 2023 Massachusetts Institute of Technology
2023
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
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