Radical Imagination
What is it?
My exploration of this framework is situated at the intersection of design and feminism.
I was introduced to fragments of radical imagination through both disciplines. In foundational Human Centered Design courses, I learned about speculative design through Fiona Raby and Anthony Dunne’s “Speculative Everything.” In parallel, I read captivating works of speculative fiction in a Feminist science (Fiction) Studies course. Octavia Butler, Ursula K. Le Guin, and N.K. Jemisin shed light on speculation as a tool for engaging with and undoing our own worldly constructs and systems of oppression.
My academic exposure to speculation sparked my interest in this subject, but my introduction to the term itself happened leisurely, as I browsed climate and culture publication Atmos.
I resonated with the imagery and sentiment of the words Radical Imagination.
For me, this concept invites joy, curiosity, and wonder. I began recognizing applications of this framework in my studies and became deliberate about leveraging radical imagination in my own design practice. Eventually, I had the opportunity to explore this concept in my own words. The following artifacts represent my work in HCDE 419, a senior level undergraduate course regarding Concepts in Human-Computer Interaction.
A thorough annotated bibliography set the tone for my research into Radical Imagination:
My findings position Radical Imagination as a generative and community-based act centering collaborative envisioning. As such, I invited two friends to join me for an exercise in radical imagining. Before we sat down to chat, I compiled and shared definitions I had come across in my readings to establish shared knowledge and terminology.
Listen to our conversation below or enjoy the accompanying quotes from our podcast.
Dreaming is the medium of the oppressed.
“We are our grandparents' wildest dreams.”
"Dreaming is something so magical, it's almost saddening to know that (for oppressed peoples) no dream has been dreamt outside of resistance, outside of overcoming oppression. I wonder where we would be if dreaming was allowed to be done outside of those constraints.”
“Dreaming is the reality for the people in power... their dreams are the reality that we live in. When oppressed people have to engage in radical imagination it’s to undo that reality.”
“When oppressed people engage in imagination, it’s inherently political. People in power have the leisure to engage with imagination for the sake of imagination. Our positions in the world are completely different therefore our states of imagination are different.”
“It’s hard to conceptualize imagination... it’s not a tangible thing and it’s not something that’s experienced the same across the board.”
“Having a definition for radical imagination is almost a contradiction to what imagination is because imagination is something that’s supposed to exist outside of any constraints, but defining it puts it in a constraint.” “So, then, maybe it is an act of resistance to not define this term.”
Why does it matter?
I will leave you with the following excerpt from my paper to explain the pertinence to design thinking.
Radical Imagination is:
★ speculating ★ social dreaming ★ discussing ★ debating ★ critiquing ★ collaborating ★ generating ★ envisioning ★ enacting
Yet, Radical Imagination extends beyond a list. It is the exploration of what ifs and, by extension, radical design is a medium that enables us to respond to those what ifs. Radical imagination serves as a tool to promote feminist thinking within HCI. Feminism in HCI is important because feminist thinking seeks to undo systems of oppression and design is a medium to enact that change.
After a thorough exploration of existing research on this topic, I believe that Radical Imagination exists at the intersection of feminism and HCI. Radical Imagination is a tool that can marry both disciplines in order to enact tangible, actionable, radical social change.
