Journal of Socialomics

Anthropological and Ethnographic Design Method for Generating Anthropological Knowledge

Keyson David^* Department of Industrial Design Engineering, Southern Methodist University, Central Expressway, USA
^*Correspondence: Keyson David, Department of Industrial Design Engineering, Southern Methodist University, Central Expressway, USA, Email:

Received: 04-Jul-2022, Manuscript No. JSC-22-17746; Editor assigned: 07-Jul-2022, Pre QC No. JSC-22-17746 (PQ); Reviewed: 21-Jul-2022, QC No. JSC-22-17746 ; Revised: 28-Jul-2022, Manuscript No. JSC-22-17746 (R); Published: 04-Aug-2022, DOI: 10.35248/2167-0358.22.11.134

Description

Design Anthropological (DA) is a new transdisciplinary subject that combines anthropology with design, two disparate fields of knowledge. The literature on design anthropology is slanted toward debates over anthropology's potential relevance, advantages, and contributions to design. Traditionally, such debates have focused on the methodological use of ethnography in design. In contrast, there has been little discussion of design may offer to anthropology. Some researchers, such as, have started discussions on the possibilities of design in anthropology. However, more focus should be paid to how design may be used to practise anthropology, especially how design can aid in the building of anthropological knowledge about a sociocultural phenomenon that is 'emerging' in the real world. The following traits characterise an 'emergent' sociocultural phenomena. It is an embryonic sociocultural phenomenon, with little performances in the real world or not yet existing in people's social lives. However, technical, economic, and social tendencies suggest that real-world manifestations of the emerging phenomena may become a reality and establish themselves in the near future. It is, nonetheless, in the process of becoming. Given the possible social reality of such an occurrence, it may be a suitable subject for anthropological investigation. The distinct methodological problem with emerging phenomena is that a 'field-site' for an anthropological investigation may not yet exist.

In general, we describe Anthropology through Design (AtD) as research methods that create anthropological knowledge about social and cultural phenomena through design activities. The basic goal of anthropology design method is to create anthropological knowledge. A sociocultural phenomenon is the subject of anthropology design investigation. Anthropology design moves 'design' from being an object of anthropology, as in 'anthropology of design,' or a beneficiary of anthropological knowledge, as in 'anthropology for design,' to being a tool for practising anthropology.

Design, anthropology and ethnography

(Social and cultural) anthropology is described broadly as "an intellectually rigorous, conceptually ambitious topic that seeks to comprehend culture, society, and mankind extensive investigations of local life augmented by comparison. One definition of ethnography is a "process of inquiry" that incorporates approaches such as immersion in a social milieu, participant observation, and fieldwork. The term 'ethnography' may also refer to a 'product' of the ethnographic process, which typically comprises ethnographic writings (monographs and articles) generated to describe the observations. The words 'anthropology' and 'ethnography' are sometimes used interchangeably, but as maintains, they are separate and distinct from one another. Ethnography is both a documentary and a descriptive endeavor. The basic goal of ethnography is to depict social life for 'others' in the past. In other words, anthropology is an understanding of being human in a society, whereas ethnography is a methodological approach and its descriptive product.

Anthropology's goal is to produce a "generous, comparative, but critical knowledge of human being and knowing in the one world we all inhabit”. There is no one definition of design that is widely accepted by design experts and practitioners. Design disciplines, professions, and sectors of design practise, such as visual design, product design, and architectural design, have different understandings and meanings of the term "design." Often, design is defined by its focus on the future and acceptance of change as a style of operation. Design, like ethnography, has two meanings: as a process, as in 'designing' or 'doing design,' and as a product, i.e., created artefacts that arise from design activities.

Framing an emergent sociocultural phenomenon

The project began in 2013 with the general goal of investigating the feasibility of peer-to-peer energy trading within neighbourhoods. The research is linked to a future scenario of energy provisioning systems in which renewable energy is created, consumed, and traded locally within a neighbourhood or village. Many energy researchers envisage these energy systems becoming more social, with homeowners taking on diverse and active roles not only in energy generation and consumption, but also in local energy exchange. The study began with a survey of the energy literature on energy transfers. We quickly realised that the issue of 'energy exchange' between homes is mostly explored in the energy literature from a rational techno- economic standpoint. This reasonable decision viewpoint severely restricts the meaning of energy exchange to the idea of energy trading, i.e. the buying and selling of locally generated power using neoclassical market procedures. As a result of this prevalent viewpoint, householder connections are confined to those of a buyer and seller, who are presented as self-interested people driven by price incentives, striving to maximise their monetary profit while minimising household expenditures.