Anthropological considerations for E/ME105
Prepared for discussion by Luz Marina Delgado (Luzmi)
Caltech ME 105 September 2007, with added notes September 2008
Introduction
From Appropriate Technology to a new model of co-creation
An improvement of the productive capabilities of some villages occurred as
a result of a process where local rural minorities of non-industrialized
countries (we try not to use the terms “developed countries”, “under
developed countries”, or “first world” and “third world”, rather we prefer to
use “industrialized” and “non-industrialized” nations and lately, the “Global
South”, in accordance with the advancement of knew academic analysis and
dialogue) began to question their reality and embrace the concepts of
Appropriate Technology in the 70's. There existed a good level of
stimulation for social organization and leadership; nonetheless, the key
element of local technical empowerment was missing because there was not
a “in situ” technical teaching programs. Guatemala received solar stoves,
solar dryers, dry composting latrines, biogas digesters and organic
agriculture form these days. There was little effort to develop a method to
build upon the valorization of local techniques. Maybe the improved
“Lorena” stove could be put in this category since it used adobe mix and was
made with intense hand labor. Appropriate Technologies’ first model of
reproduction in the 1970’s, showed the need to improve the productive
capabilities of rural villages, but did not generate the complete scenario for
the community to influence and improve the level of technology.
There was also another element of sustainability missing, as Appropriate
Technology pioneers did not envision the potential benefit from access to
seed capital, later in the 80’s available through the various forms of microloan programs. They did not ensure sustainability through the creation of
income generating alternatives from appropriate technology goods and
services. Only some of the initiatives took off as income generating
activities, mostly the ones related to the production of goods, for example:
“puzolanic” bricks, alternative lime kilns, vegetable oil natural soaps, bee
wax candles, production and transformation of medicinal plants, “organic”
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dyes for textiles, redesigning of textile products. But even those, without the
proper marketing channels and on going design development did not
succeed.
In the 90's, work was done to foster entrepreneurial spirit in order to create
income through a “multi-approach model”, a more sustainable model, based
on the social structure in existence, the democratization of capital access
(micro-loans), access to newly defined markets and well designed business
plans. Despite these comprehensive advances, one element was still
missing: technical advancement based on the mixture of local ancestral
techniques and modern technological know-how.
Therefore, when students traveled to rural Guatemala, they found only a few
examples of “local geniuses”, individuals capable to build-on and expand on
opportunities for co-creation. Based on their own identity and ancestral
knowledge, they have taken invention to the level of innovation, sometimes
even to the diffusion level, thus improving the success rate of
entrepreneurial community development projects (Asociacion Ri Palamax
with ist amaranth projects; Maya Pedal, with its pedal machines;
Tecnologias para la Salud, TPS, with latrines and stoves)
In the main stream field of Engineering for Human Development, where
efforts are being made to give students expanding exposure to new mind
opening opportunities, Caltech’s E105 “Product Design for the Developing
World” is adding (since 2007) an element to its curriculum: a field trip to
rural Guatemala to gather ground truth.
There is a strong correlation between indigenous (local) technical abilities,
technology transfer - dissemination and social organization. A list of
enabling conditions underline the following: 1) A level of wellbeing to
conduct a life with dignity, normally reached by the opportunity to have a
cash crop or a cash craft production; 2) Community participation; 3) Access
to seed capital and markets; 4) Strong cultural identity; 5) Positive role of
aid programs and funds (empowering-not charity type); 6) Fair business and
social environment; 7) Available research-prototype facilities and ongoing
educational, leadership and team management programs.
Although E105 projects are only "class projects" the idea is that in 10 week
the students come up with an understanding of the applications of cultural
sensibility to the product design process, a prototype, and a business plan to
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implement a micro business in a poor country. The long-term goal is to
create income-generating opportunities for the people of poor communities
in the third world, better called impoverished world or non-industrialized
world.
To develop this new field of Engineering for Human development, sciences
as diverse as Engineering, Economics & Business, Environmental Sciences
and Anthropology have been combined. At Caltech such curriculum is
being imparted in 20 sessions during the Fall term. E105 students are
challenged to create products for sustainable development and income
generation for the third world poor who make under 2 dollars a day, living
mostly in rural areas. Students are faced with constraints on product costs
and pricing, availability of local materials, lack of manufacturing and
product standards, cultural diversity and a 10-week design cycle.
E/ME105 students have been invited to participate in a field trip were they
interact with local NGO’s than have tried to understand development work
in a more participatory and responsible way, taking a stand against “the
other kind of development” were locals are only subjects to be given things
away as a form of generous donations (problem of dependency). We are
looking for ways in which the interaction may bring empowerment and a
responsible participation from both local and external participants
(development agents).
Goals
- Respond to student motivation to learn to design for the bottom 2
billion of the pyramid
- Learn principles of engineering & design, anthropology,
environmental sciences and business
- Learning by hands-on projects, service learning or experiential
learning
- Valorization of cultural identity and sustainability during the process
of product design
- Ground truth gathering field trip
- Create local Income generating opportunities
Relevance of cultural identity in the design process: As part of their
standard education designers and engineers are encouraged to understand
their customers' needs and values. This is true for product design in
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“developing nations”, better said impoverished nations. Product designs in
the context of community development, for rural areas in developing
countries, follow the same principle: "to become one with the customer".
A new application of a well-understood principle in engineering, the concept
of “co-creation” needs to be incorporated. In this particular case the
customers are not only distant, but are culturally diverse. Also, in the past
they have not been treated as collaborators, but rather as objects, maybe
potential costumers. Co-creation for Human Development means that the
design process includes the end-user stockholder’s talents and local
knowledge. Co-creation helps inspire local individuals, with creative
teaching/learning opportunities to share fundamental design principles, to
foster local creativity.
This participatory approach facilitates relevant cultural and social
information to be included into the design process. Building on a platform of
basic design and engineering principles (functionality, practicality,
transparency, reduction of price, weight and size, ruggedness and safe) local
partners with a high level of self-confidence, could become the owners of a
self-sustained entrepreneurial innovation process of co-creation.
When Appropriate Technology was introduced in the 70's, despite a good
level of stimulation for social organization and leadership, the key element
of local technical empowerment was missing. The prototypes and ideas
came from a far with a minimum of innovation. The fields of major effort in
Guatemala were: energy (improve stoves, bio gas digesters), sanitation
(composting latrines) agriculture (organic systems with composting and
landscaping) and housing (alternative cement and roofing options).
The sector where major innovation occurred was energy, in particular with
the fire burning improved stoves, where four designs were developed and
deployed within two decades. Local designers tried to better understand the
combustion, tunneling of heat, management of smoke and minimization of
burning wood.
As said before, even with the introduction of micro-loans for a more
sustainable model, few examples of innovation through opportunities for
local people to create products using both their ancient techniques and
modern knowledge are to be found. It is important to extend opportunities of
co-creation, to improve the success rate of community development projects.
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History teaches that peoples and ideas have intermingled as they have
traveled our world, thus opening opportunities for advancement for all
cultures. Is transfer of ideas and technology a viable approach to rural
development? The work of many researches (Burch 1987; Lionburger and
Chang 1970; Webster 1979; Hayami and Ruttan 1985; Pigaliet et al 1987;
Mejer 1989; Cromwell and Wiggins 1993; Ruttan 1998; Brautigam 1998)
has demonstrated some key elements to be essential for the development of
technological capabilities:
 Strong social organization within participating communities
 Presence of strong institutional infrastructure
 Enabling conditions for adaptation, development and extension
capabilities
 Critical and effective research efforts
 Productivity resulting from “active” information
 Diversity in productivity (types of products, constant innovation) is a
market “enhancener”.
Sustainability
Applied anthropology has made evident that in order to develop indigenous
or local capabilities; there is a need to understand other kinds of profits, thus
embracing sustainability in a brother way than pure economics. We want to
be able to measure cultural, human, social and environmental capital and
profit. Nevertheless, it is easier to measure economical profits, to better
understand sustainability, in this paper, some indicators will be presented to
attain measurement for some of these different dimensions of development.
Because human interaction is a dynamic process in continual development,
consider yourself invited to give this process a thought. As in any other
science, information of the state of the art comes handy. We are gathering
data and each other’s understanding of the need to create interdisciplinary
learning/teaching experiences, (lessons learned) in a participatory effort, to
create common concepts and key ideas, indicators and variables of success
to measure our accomplishments, reorient our course of action and advance
the body of knowledge.
Anthropological considerations
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Current students and practitioners will find a global market with less defines
boundaries, hence a more intense need of its people to define ethnic
diversity. Because of historical and economic reasons it is unquestionable
that some cultures and its people have conquer others and impose on them
their Cosmo-visions and values. During this process much valuable cultural
material has been lost, even if new is being created, both in the western
world as outside the western, industrialized world.
Experience has showed us that it is difficult for technical students, without
exposure to other cultures to even question the value of social issues, not to
mention political, historical and economic considerations. Thus we need to
value the possibility of developing “Cultural Specs” lessons were the mail
purpose is to point out simple facts, e.g., the importance for the design
process to regard all cultures with equality, the need to revalue ancient
knowledge and techniques, the enabling condition of empower the ones that
have been marginalized and impoverished.
In a global world, engineering students need to discuss the concept of
ethnocentrism to critically thing about the authority of its lessons and values,
the unhealthy uniformization or homogenization of value systems, the
extinction phenomena of ancient techniques and valuable knowledge, e.g.,
medicinal plants, endogenous seeds, crafts and arts, etc.
In E105 we have come to discuss the notion of “cultural markers” as the
“Cultural material” that helps a person subscribes to a determinate ethnic
group and identified with people of similar values and belief system, even
similar body characteristics and habits. A strong sense of identity leads to
the possibility of developing a strong self-esteem, the initial step towards
empowerment. People with healthy levels of well-being and self-awareness
are able to engage in community action, develop skills and resources for
self-management and self-sufficiency. Social workers always find a strong
correlation between people with a healthy sense of identity with people who
have a desire to participate and become an active member of the community.
We understand that social dynamics are the multiple assets (social capital) a
society may foster, due to the intricate connections of various types, between
members of a group, ways to created bonding and social tissue, which leads
to create a sense of pride to belong. When a social system is in well
functioning mode, and the dynamics are enabling, a result is creativity. One
of the important goals of E105 is to foster the creative process. Creativity is
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a result of healthy mindsets from people with strong self-esteem working in
enabling environments. Creativity is a source of empowerment.
Since we are looking for logic ties between engineering and social sciences,
we need to focus on the creative process, the one needed to reach our goal of
co-creation. We understand the importance for people to have self respect
and self value, we need to think in ways we may stimulate this process of
self esteem growth, the ability to believe in our unique inner source of
knowledge, power and energy.
One lesson from the social sciences, especially from psychology, is the
“grounding” (or not) implication culture has in a person, in regards to the
value his or her culture has compared to other cultures. Is the person coming
from a dominant culture? Or is the person from a subdued culture? In either
case, from what level or class is she or he coming from? Normally these
differences mark the opportunities a person has. To develop self-esteem we
first need to develop the ability and have the opportunity to voice though,
opinion, desires, dreams and needs. Human beings have basic needs and
strategic needs and both need to be addressed simultaneously to have healthy
responses to human interactions. To develop self-esteem we need to teach a
person basic leadership, problem solving and team work skills and as a
group, we need to be able to teach basic principles of:
- design and engineering
- physical science
- social science
- environmental science
- economics and business
- history
Creativity may come froth when there are constrains and challenges, it may
be suggested by the local context, it may come across a foreign intervention,
it may be boost by deep understanding of ancient ways of reasoning; the
source of the creative power may vary, but the common denominator is an
enabling environment.
What do we understand be “enabling environment” in a non-industrialized
country? Why are we bothered talking about this kind of environment any
way? To answer the former, it is a welcoming of the spirit of trust and
wonder, it is a suggestion of becoming in the face of previous fear and
defeat. It may encompass a physical place, with tools and working tables,
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but these are not as important as the mentors and teacher’s right
understanding and desire to pass knowledge and technical abilities with no
restrain. To answer the last question, the process of service learning for a
student of Engineering for Human Development means to foster the creative
process through exercising co-creation and full participation of local rural
partners.
With the discussions that take place in E105, we want students to become
aware of the need to come together and make cultural interaction and
cultural exchange a normal habit. As a result of the experience of them
traveling to a rural area of a non industrialized country like Guatemala,
students are faced with this very issue when they visit homes were
workshops of the arts and crafts had been going on for generations. They
can first hand experience about ancient techniques, food, seeds, medicine,
instruments, machines, fire, water, etc.
We designed the field trip itinerary to have students interact with local
families for some hours each day so they have chances to understand what
they were experiencing, be able to decide if E/ME105 responses to the
challenges people face were favorable or no favorable, culturally sound or
not, used local materials or where brought from afar, were environmentally
friendly or nor, needed improvement or a whole make over.
Conclusion
One sure method to achieve dreams is being able to describe them, as
detailed as possible so others may want to come and start dreaming too! By
describing our step by step goals for co-creation and named our idea as a
"program", I am not putting aside other contributions for a dream called a
"technology incubator" or a "technological institute" which have also been
describe through our dialogues. For more that a decade now, with local
Guatemalans who have success stories in different fields: organic agriculture
(Cooperativa San Pablo Tacana, Cooperativa Jacaltenango) hydroelectric
power (Fundacion Solar), food autonomy techniques, Organic Composting
latrines, improved stoves, wind power (CEMAT, TPS) and others. So far
there has been some "non documented" success. Mexico has a great example
of a lower level technical institute for the basic trades in San Cristobal de las
Casas, Chiapas called "La Albarrada" we have been discussing how best to
disseminate Appropriate Technology and how best to improve it with local
creative contributions.
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I suggest to continue to apply lessons learned and continue small with a pilot
program of independent studies where E/ME105 may provide initial
opportunities to have:
a) The Caltech students lined up with a step by step, hands on
teaching/learning process ideas and prototypes to teach/learn the basic
science behind them (pedal charger, irrigation project calculations, corn
sheller) and a simple set of Specs or principles (cultural, business and design
and engineering) to share while on the research trips.
b) The commitment of our Guatemalan partners to provide the needed
coordination and management and a number of local rural college students
(Fundacion Solar)
c) The commitment of Landivar, from both professors and students to
provide in rural locations and in their campus, with and for rural students, an
ongoing scheduled of open learning/teaching opportunities.
d) The work of local geniuses who participate in the program as mentors
e) The discussion of successful ideas and practices developed by others
(Paul Polak's workshop for E/ME105)
To accomplish such goals would be a huge step towards fostering ingenuity
and creativity thus pointing our challenges in the right direction for a cocreation experience.
Lastly, working with and for top universities should empower us to set high
standards of success for our students and ourselves and trace a clear path
towards becoming more inclusive and more appreciative of the assets we
may find in rural life in general. There is much we may learn as we partner
with local NGO’s interacting with their community partners.
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