The Foundation of Cultural Wealth
In the Ghetto Genius Universe, we refer frequently to the concept of cultural wealth. Cultural wealth is the currency that powers our ecosystem, the fuel that propels us forward. In the coming pieces we’ll take a deep dive into the idea. But first, in order to grasp the meaning of our core principle, cultural wealth, one must understand what culture is and how it can impact design and product development.
Every society, every group, has layers of culture, and they are studied by sociologists and anthropologists all over the world. An academic offers that “Culture has been defined as the learned and shared behaviors of a group of interacting human beings” (Useem, p. 169). For example, culture is knowing to start two-stepping and clapping on beat when the choir begins its first musical selection in the black church. Culture is knowing not to put your feet on the dashboard of your homie’s new ride, and knowing under no circumstances are you to touch the radio. For our purposes, culture can be broken down into two components; there’s the behavioral component, and the mental component, which heavily influences the former (Peoples). Elements of the mental component include values, norms, beliefs, and construction of reality. The behavioral component includes practices and situational responses. The first step of any design process is understanding your audience. Will the design meet their needs? In order to understand your target group you must understand their shared culture, which requires a thorough understanding of their mental and behavioral components.
In order to add value to a design, the product or service must be adopted by a given audience. Understanding their shared values and behaviors prior to beginning the design process exponentially increases the odds of adoption of your product or technology.
Proper use of cultural knowledge, which we refer to as cultural wealth, includes research, translation of the research into insights, then use of insights to drive features and attributes. Books have been written on each step listed and we’ll be sure to provide analysis of each in our own Ghetto Genius fashion. But I’d like to shift focus a bit to talk about ourselves and our organizational goals, as they relate to the topic of culture and design.
Dr. Will Patterson, co-author of this publication, has a PhD in education. In the Ghetto Genius Universe he’s our cultural anthropologist. His specialty is American Hip Hop culture, as connected to impoverished black communities. I am a mechanical design engineer, and in the Ghetto Genius Universe I’m the builder. Our combined knowledge allows us to create a methodology for the design of products for and by disadvantaged communities that will ensure the products are relevant, effective, and widely-adopted.
Our belief is that marginalized groups have cultural wealth and that we can educate folks to reap the social and financial benefits of their wealth before it is appropriated by someone in what’s traditionally been considered a “better” position in the market.
Through writings on the Ghetto Genius Universe publication and through podcasts, we will lay out the bridge that connects cultural wealth with design. We will support the ghetto geniuses that come our way with the ultimate goal of creating a thriving and self-sustaining Universe of folks serving their communities and supporting their families using their own brand of genius. I hope you’ll take a second to follow and share this publication and check back regularly for new content, including the launch of the Ghetto Genius podcast!
References*
Useem, J., R. Useem, and J. Donoghue, (1963, Fall) “Men in the Middle of the Third Culture: The Roles of American and Non-Western People in Cross-Cultural Administration.” Human Organization 22: 3, 169–179.
Peoples, J. and Bailey, G. (2014) Humanity: An Introduction to Cultural Anthropology. 10th edition. Pp. 21–47.
Rodgers P. and M. Anusas. (5 Sept 2008) “Ethnography and Design.” International Conference on Engineering and Product Design Education. https://www.designsociety.org/event/35/e_pde_2008_engineering_and_product_design_education_2008
Pearson, C. (2016) “Why Every Software Team Needs an Anthropologist,” https://medium.com/@Mediauras/why-every-software-team-needs-an-anthropologist-812e66e0ecb6
*I hope you’ll forgive my lack of MLA format. Ain’t nobody got time for that.
