Extinction as Crisis: design between technocratic modernity and the regeneration of situated knowledges

Abstract

This article proposes a theoretical reflection on the crisis of extinction as a multidimensional process that transcends the disappearance of biological species, manifesting also in the sociocultural sphere through the erosion of knowledges, artisanal practices, and situated ways of life. The objective is to understand the ambivalent role of design, historically aligned with capitalist and technocratic logic that accelerates these extinction processes, but also potentially capable of acting as an agent of regeneration when adopting participatory and situated approaches. Based on a non-systematic literature review, the article articulates discussions on the concept of extinction, the critique of modernity, the Anthropocene, and situated knowledges, proposing an original reading that connects these debates to the field of design. It is argued that although the extinction of certain practices seems inexorable in the face of hegemonic global forces, participatory and regenerative design strategies can open pathways for the re-signification and strengthening of threatened cultures. The conclusion points to the need for design to abandon its technocratic and centralizing posture, repositioning itself as a mediator of intercultural dialogues and co-creator of possible futures anchored in local knowledges.