DESIGN EDUCATION/AFRIKA /4TH INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION
Hosted by University of Johannesburg & Inscape Education Group

We are excited to announce the First Call for papers of the 2021 DEFSA Design Education conference. Our conference will be going virtual for the first time in 2021 - and in support of the conference theme we are taking this opportunity to present new formats and procedures.

Planning and preparations for virtual delivery of the conference are well underway - we intend to make the most of the opportunities created by technology. Because the 2021 conference is a virtual event, and we welcome papers from international Design Educators!

• DEFSA 2021 Conference - Call for Papers

Conference Theme

The First Industrial Revolution used water and steam power to mechanize production.

The Second used electric power to create mass production.

The Third used electronics and information technology to automate production.

Now a Fourth Industrial Revolution is building on the Third - the digital revolution that has been occurring since the middle of the last century.It is characterized by a fusion of technologies that is blurring the lines between the physical, digital, and biological spheres.

Klaus Schwab (2016)
Founder and Executive Chairman, WEF

The COVID-19 pandemic has visibly impacted every sphere of life. The Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) and its impact on design education can similarly be viewed through the lens of this global pandemic.

The unique context of Afrika adds further layers to this lens. In past DEFSA conferences, design educators would reflect the conference theme on their particular context, lived experience, and specific design discipline. To encourage this self-reflection and forward-thinking, the 2021 DEFSA Conference addresses the past, present and future of design education while considering the Fourth Industrial Revolution in the context of Afrikan scholarship.