Ep. 17 | Design as Commons, Oases, and a Changing Climate | Dr. Safouan Azouzi

Harvard Islamica Podcast

In the first podcast episode of our "Climate Change and Muslim Societies" series, Dr. Safouan Azouzi discusses his research on Design for Social Innovation. Design, historically rooted in Eurocentric perspectives tied to capitalism and overconsumption, has contributed significantly to the climate crisis, disproportionately affecting the poor and disadvantaged. Safouan questions how Design, originating from the Global North, can be used by eco-social movements in the Global South as a tool for change that sustains their struggle. His focus is on decolonizing design and integrating it with alternative economics to promote sustainable futures.

Safouan examines the impact of extractive capitalism and water issues in Tunisia's oases, where social, ecological, and political factors intersect. His research underscores the urgent need to revive indigenous oasis practices facing imminent collapse. He critiques the concept of "design for the other 90%", arguing it often lacks a political dimension and perpetuates neocolonialism. Social designers, he argues, often overlook the systemic global mechanisms that produce the social problems they aim to solve.

In his field research, Safouan studies (among others) the oasis of his hometown, Gabes, Tunisia. Here, traditional commoning practices, especially around water, are disappearing due to state-led groundwater exploitation by the Tunisian Chemical Group. This has led to severe (air and sea) pollution and exacerbated ecological challenges in the region.

Dr. Safouan Azouzi is a postdoctoral fellow at the Aga Khan Program for Islamic Architecture at MIT. In 2023-34, he was a postdoctoral fellow at the Center for Middle Eastern Studies at Harvard University and the Harvard Graduate School of Design. He earned his PhD in Architecture and Design at the Sapienza University in Rome.

Credits and transcript