From publics to counterpublics: designing for autonomy

In this paper we examine the conceptualization of publics by participatory design scholars and consider how the emphasis on communities as publics supports or hinders the agenda to repoliticize participatory design research. Our paper begins by setting out the alternative concept of counter-publics, which we argue is an overlooked yet salient critical lens that can offer productive insights for the field. Focusing on “new economy” counter-publics, we consider how we might unsettle institutionalized norms and assemble new ones, rebalance towards autonomy at the outset of any participatory design project, and approach designing counter-institutions in ways that aim to sustain oppositional practices in the face of co-optation. Based on this argumentation, we reflect on counter-designing as a tactical practice to employ against pervasive issues of norming and co-optation and towards collective autonomy.