The Achilles Heel of Cultural Hegemony
When social factors returned to CED, attention turned toward the working classes and, in particular, ethnic minorities. As Modernism gained momentum, these communities bore the brunt of its negative consequences.
Excluded from decision-making, they watched their neighborhoods struggle under the weight of choices made by others far from their lived experience.
To change this, the social factors curriculum encouraged students to step into others’ shoes by engaging directly with users and truly hearing diverse voices. These insights were to spark the creation of new programmatic solutions.
Faculty also prioritized welcoming students from ethnic and working-class backgrounds, hoping they would become passionate environmental advocates who would make sure designers paid attention to real community needs.
Through these efforts, social factors left a powerful mark on CED during the 1970s and 80s. Though the program itself was short-lived, its ideas took root, shaping the perspectives of hundreds of students and echoing long after it was discontinued.
This sense of connection blossomed into lifelong relationships. We have remained in touch, championed ethnic scholarships at CED, and continued to support one another as our paths have branched into new fields over the past five decades.
