Cross-cultural technology transfer: a transdisciplinary approach for Cultural-Historical Activity Research

Deborah Rockstroh

ISCAR 2014Theory and methodology: Interdisciplinarity, multidisciplinarity and

transdisciplinarity in sociocultural and activity research

I acknowledge the traditional custodians of this landupon which this event is taking place,

and pay my respects to elders, past and present.

Introduction Science, through the division of knowledge into disciplinary fields, has

contributed towards technological developments that have benefitted societies of the developed world.

The challenge of transferring technologies, in order to raise the living standards of diverse societies in developing worlds, highlights the significance of the relationship between technology and culture.

Successful cross- and inter-cultural technology transfer typically occurs when the cultural values and activities of people are taken into account,

supported by knowledge and methods from a range of disciplinary fields, beyond the boundaries of one ‘scientific’ way of thinking.

This paper discusses the way Cultural-Historical Activity Theory (CHAT) provided a supportive framework for mapping transdisciplinary knowledge, in a study that sought to better understand the relationship between culture and technology for technology education and transfer.

Purpose of the Study

To explore the potential of an education in Design & Technology to foster Indigenous students’ engagement and participation in housing management in remote Australian desert communities.

Water: supply & drainage for washing people, clothes, bedding, food; and healthy function of toilets

Nutrition : storage, preparation and cooking of food Negative impacts: of overcrowding, dust, insects, pets, vermin Safety: reduction of hazards

Definitions and Focus

In Design and Technology Education, “technology” represents the tools and artifacts of material

culture that comprise the human-made world, “design” introduced into curricula to increase subject relevance

for 21st C, to encourage participation in engineering, architecture, graphic design, computer programming, textile and food sciences, etc.

meanings in domestic design, of everyday activities the relationships between people, place and practice

Challenge: Geographic

Challenge: Political

• Non-indigenous and changing governance, short term policies• Different rules re home ownership, Land rights complications• Limited opportunities for economic participation• Economic benefits from natural and cultural resources (mining, tourism)

Challenge: Developmental

Development imposed, minimal consultation and consideration for cultural implications

Challenge: Educational

• Supply and delivery of educational resources • Few cultural considerations in curriculum• Evolving nature of D&T education

Addressing the Challenges Design & Technology relatively new school subject in secondary curriculum,

limited research, concerns establishing legitimacy and defining subject content. Indigenous policy - previous research recommendations largely ignored; plus changes during time of study – shifted terms and conditions (NT Intervention),

scholarship support impact > limited fieldwork, more emphasis on literature. Finding concerns:

contention about social shaping v determinism in this context gendered nature of science and technology – cultural identity implications

Shift in study purpose How might education conceptualise activities of a design and technological nature, in ways that encourage, rather than compromise Aboriginal identity?

A Cultural Shift “Context and consciousness” (Nardi, 1996)

Activity Theory in a technological context “Mind in Society” (Vygotsky/Cole & Scribner, 1978)

learning leading development concept of tools the role of the environment significance of history

“The Cultural Origins of Human Cognition” (Tomasello, 1999) biology – culture accumulation and ‘ratcheting’

+ Bronfenbrenner’s bio-ecological perspective + John Berry’s acculturation and ecocultural theory + Michael LaFlamme (former PhD student of Vera John Steiner)

Framing Eco-Cultural-Historical EntanglementsCHAT framed transdisciplinary knowledge to support cultural understanding: Groups developed cultures through adapting local resources to support survival,

diverse ecological niches helped shape designs and values, knowledge and meanings associated with technologies and activities.

Generations are not born knowing how to live in the human-made world created before them, knowledge develops through learning, successive generations do not have to invent wheel, but have advantage of improving upon, and adding to, earlier designs.

Migration and sharing of knowledge, technologies, activities and ideas has contributed to cultural development , transformation and entanglement.

Identity can be understood as shaped by culture through the process of learning-to-become a cultural participant. From a design perspective, identities then shape their culture by contributing through the creative expression of design.

Evaluation of CHAT for transdisciplinary researchCHAT provided a framework that: supported the meaningful mapping of knowledge from diverse disciplinary fields

(ie. anthropology, education, psychology, history, Western development, human ecology, geography, economics, appropriate technology, technology transfer, sustainable development), which

located relationships between human identity, learning, activity, design and technology, along cultural-historical trajectories of entanglement.

CHAT enabled technology, and activities associated with the process and product of design, to be conceptualised as cultural phenomena – not fixed and determined, but in a continuous process of development and open to new possibilities; thereby

offers theorists, researchers and practitioners in design, technology, technology transfer, and cross- and intercultural education, an innovative framework to support further research and contribute to improved understandings.

Conclusion For this study, CHAT provided a framework upon which knowledge from multiple

disciplines could be woven to create a deeper understanding about the significance of the relationship between culture, design and technology;

with implications for D&T education, cross- and inter-cultural learning and development, and technology transfer.

As for any cultural group in a state of continuous development, many unique identities contribute diverse theoretical interpretations to the CHAT body of work which builds upon Lev Vygotsky’s original vision.

As a PhD candidate, these entanglements have been a source of guidance and inspiration, a sense of community working towards a worthwhile consensus.

The findings supported the notion that with appropriate pedagogies and policies, Indigenous people ought be able to participate in Western worlds in ways that do not compromise, but are a creative expression of, their cultural identity.

Thank you … have a safe and enjoyable stay in Australia!