A Theoretical Straddle: Design Culture between National Structures and Transnational Networks

Joana Ozorio deAlmeida Meroz KatarinaSerulus Historically, one of the dominant modes of categorizing and studying design has been in terms of the nation-state. However, some design historians question whether the nation-state provides the most suitable framework for the historical study of design, particularly given the challenges posed by globalization (Adamson, Riello and Teasley 2011) . Nevertheless, given nation-states’ enduring relevance to the development of design practices, it might be too early to overthrow the national framework altogether. Indeed, the nation-state often remains key in articulating the transnational networks that design cultures construct and circulate in. The empirical complexity of contemporary design cultures, straddling as they do national structures and transnational networks, requires the development of new theoretical frameworks that allow for examining design as it crosses over different conceptual and contextual frames (for recent attempts in this direction, see e. g. Fallan and Lees-Maffei 2016; Gimeno Martínez and Ozorio de...