The thesis critically investigates the expansion of the notion of design, analyzing the processes that have led this discipline to overcome its traditional boundaries and to intertwine with increasingly broader design fields. The work is based on an epistemological perspective that aims to distinguish design (as a profession and discipline) from design understood as a generic design activity. The main objective is to clarify the specific role of design as a profession, contrasting the conceptual indeterminacy that characterizes the contemporary debate and that risks weakening its disciplinary identity. The research is divided into three main directions. First, it analyzes the expansion of design in the contemporary landscape, highlighting its causes, including the indiscriminate adoption of the term "design" in heterogeneous fields and the growing overlap with the notion of "project". Second, it proposes a new classification of design disciplines, based on the distinction between different disciplinary levels, in order to establish the operational boundaries of design without precluding the possibility of interdisciplinary dialogue. Finally, it develops a reflection on the need for an epistemology of design, aimed at identifying clear validation criteria for the profession and restoring a solid conceptual autonomy to the discipline. Through an immanent critique approach, the thesis highlights how the current expansion of design, while opening up new perspectives of intervention, risks dissolving its methodological and cultural specificity. In conclusion, the work redefines the role of design in contemporaneity, offering theoretical tools to distinguish between its real potential and the rhetorical narratives that accompany its expansion. The final goal is to restore to design a solid epistemological identity, capable of critically and consciously addressing the challenges of today's society.
La tesi indaga criticamente l’espansione della nozione di design, analizzando i processi che hanno portato questa disciplina a superare i suoi confini tradizionali e a intrecciarsi con ambiti progettuali sempre più vasti. Il lavoro si fonda su una prospettiva epistemologica che mira a distinguere il design (come professione e disciplina) dal design inteso come una generica attività progettuale. L'obiettivo principale è chiarire il ruolo specifico del design come professione, contrastando l’indeterminatezza concettuale che caratterizza il dibattito contemporaneo e che rischia di indebolire la sua identità disciplinare. La ricerca si articola in tre direzioni principali. In primo luogo, analizza l’espansione del design nel panorama contemporaneo, mettendo in luce le sue cause, tra cui l’adozione indiscriminata del termine “design” in ambiti eterogenei e la crescente sovrapposizione con la nozione di “progetto”. In secondo luogo, propone una nuova classificazione delle discipline progettuali, basata sulla distinzione tra diversi livelli disciplinari, al fine di stabilire i confini operativi del design senza precludere la possibilità di dialogo interdisciplinare. Infine, sviluppa una riflessione sulla necessità di un’epistemologia del design, volta a identificare criteri di validazione chiari per la professione e a restituire alla disciplina una solida autonomia concettuale. Attraverso un approccio di critica immanente, la tesi evidenzia come l’attuale espansione del design, pur aprendo nuove prospettive di intervento, rischi di dissolvere la sua specificità metodologica e culturale. In conclusione, il lavoro ridefinisce il ruolo del design nella contemporaneità, offrendo strumenti teorici per distinguere tra le sue reali potenzialità e le narrazioni retoriche che ne accompagnano l’espansione. L’obiettivo finale è restituire al design una sua identità epistemologica solida, capace di affrontare in modo critico e consapevole le sfide della società attuale.
Il design oltre l'oggetto. Una critica immanente / Califano, Pierfrancesco. - (2025 Mar 28).
Il design oltre l'oggetto. Una critica immanente
CALIFANO, PIERFRANCESCO
2025-03-28
Abstract
The thesis critically investigates the expansion of the notion of design, analyzing the processes that have led this discipline to overcome its traditional boundaries and to intertwine with increasingly broader design fields. The work is based on an epistemological perspective that aims to distinguish design (as a profession and discipline) from design understood as a generic design activity. The main objective is to clarify the specific role of design as a profession, contrasting the conceptual indeterminacy that characterizes the contemporary debate and that risks weakening its disciplinary identity. The research is divided into three main directions. First, it analyzes the expansion of design in the contemporary landscape, highlighting its causes, including the indiscriminate adoption of the term "design" in heterogeneous fields and the growing overlap with the notion of "project". Second, it proposes a new classification of design disciplines, based on the distinction between different disciplinary levels, in order to establish the operational boundaries of design without precluding the possibility of interdisciplinary dialogue. Finally, it develops a reflection on the need for an epistemology of design, aimed at identifying clear validation criteria for the profession and restoring a solid conceptual autonomy to the discipline. Through an immanent critique approach, the thesis highlights how the current expansion of design, while opening up new perspectives of intervention, risks dissolving its methodological and cultural specificity. In conclusion, the work redefines the role of design in contemporaneity, offering theoretical tools to distinguish between its real potential and the rhetorical narratives that accompany its expansion. The final goal is to restore to design a solid epistemological identity, capable of critically and consciously addressing the challenges of today's society.File | Dimensione | Formato | |
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Descrizione: Il design "oltre l'oggetto". Una critica immanente
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Tesi di dottorato
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