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Abstract

This thesis investigates the role of design education in advancing reconciliation by examining how studio-based pedagogies can meaningfully engage with Indigenous Knowledges, practices, and priorities. Framed within the broader proposition that design is a site of culture making—and the design studio a kind of ritual space where knowledge is formulated—the research explores how design practice and education can be reoriented to support relational, reciprocal, and transformative learning within established institutional settings. The ethnographic focus of this study is the Wilson School of Design at Kwantlen Polytechnic University in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Central to this inquiry is the concept of “making space,” which holds multiple meanings. It refers to the act of designing material environments; the use of studios and maker spaces as places where material culture is created; and the broader imperative of creating room for Indigenous content, contribution, and capacity building within academic institutions. These three nuances—design acts, creative spaces, and cultural capacity—form a guiding framework for investigating how making space in design education impacts educators and emerging designers, shifts social processes, and contributes to reconciliation. This study adopts a design anthropological approach, emphasizing methodological synergies between ethnographic fieldwork and studio-based making. A multivocal, interdisciplinary, mixed-methods framework combines participant observation, interviews, and case study analysis to examine design education across specialities as a culturally and politically situated practice. Grounded in the principles of reciprocity, the research focuses on a range of initiatives, including collaborations with Indigenous mentors, integration of Indigenous design principles, land- and place-based learning, and programming developed specifically for Indigenous learners. Findings show that while institutional commitments to reconciliation are increasing, they are often performative and constrained by Eurocentric frameworks. By engaging with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action—particularly #62 and #63—the thesis highlights pathways for transforming design studios into ethical, relational, and culturally responsive spaces of learning. Ultimately, this research offers a case for the relevance of design within anthropology, contributing to the emerging subfield of design anthropology. It demonstrates how studio-based inquiry, material practices, and Indigenous-led collaboration can enrich ethnographic work and foster decolonizing approaches in design education.