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Research

When I am not designing visuals, I am designing research projects. My topics of interest run the gamut from communication to cultural anthropology, but the common denominator is how today's society will influence tomorrow's. While have yet to formally publish these works (stay tuned for updates), I want to share what I have been working on. At the least, it shows a glimpse of my passions, and at the most, it can inspire yours.

Health by Design: Interpreting the discourse of human-centred design in global health development

The topic of my master thesis, this research focused on the emergence of human-centred design in global health development projects. Taking departure from Aram Ziai’s (2016) archaeologic and genealogic findings of development discourse, this research asks the question: How does the approach of human-centred design in global health development projects conform to and/or resist a market-oriented development discourse? And the sub-question: How are the relations of these discourses presented in the Bilharzia Storytelling Lab? The research uses a foundation of post-development theory, poststructuralist theory, and variations of Michel Foucault’s theories of discourse and power to analyse related literature and empirical material from the Bilharzia Storytelling Lab, conducted by the global development consultancy Dalberg Media. By using the literature, this research establishes regularities in the discursive formation of human-centred design in global health development and then analyses the relations of power and knowledge in the Bilharzia Storytelling Lab to understand the presence and influence of discourse on these relations. The findings indicate some ways in which the approach of human-centred design resists the norms of a market-oriented development discourse by offering a greater role of knowledge by local participants of the development project. However, overall, the discourse present in the literature and in the Bilharzia Storytelling Lab conformed to the strategies of a market-oriented development discourse focused on technical solutions to global health issues. 

No Laughing Matter: A case study analysis of The Daily Show in times of changing media landscapes & crisis

This research considered the following questions: In what key ways has The Daily Show adapted the production and distribution of their satirical content to changes in the media landscape brought on by digitalisation and globalisation? How did these adaptations allow them to react to the current COVID-19 pandemic? These questions were answered through a historical review of digitalisation and globalisation along with a hermeneutic case study analysis of The Daily Show. Our findings showed that The Daily Show has adapted its production and distribution to appeal to audiences across globally available digital platforms by utilising more personalised communication styles and formats and diversifying the way in which the segments are repurposed. These adaptations, enabled by new communication technologies, were mainly initiated by the introduction of Trevor Noah as he brought his unique worldview that allowed for reaching diverse audiences.

"We Learn the world through Denmark": Cultural identity of Faroese students in Denmark

Though a controversial viewpoint, throughout Lars Jensen’s book, Postcolonial Denmark: Nation Narration in a Crisis Ridden Europe, he makes the case that the relationship between Denmark and the Faroe Islands is indeed colonial, though he acknowledges this has historically been dismissed. This research, in accordance with this position, sought to understand the ways in which this colonial relationship is still present today by looking at the following question: How does the Danish-Faroese colonial history influence the cultural identity of young Faroese adults studying in Denmark? Through interviews, this research employed Stuart Hall’s theories of identity and the diaspora, and Sara Ahmed’s theory of affect and Other to understand the influence of the political relationship between Denmark and the Faroe Islands on the Faroese people’s sense of belonging and cultural identity. The results showed a depth of feeling and shared sentiment on behalf of the Faroese that though Denmark may be their lens through which they view and access the world, that does not inherently mean that they feel an attachment or belonging to Denmark. Rather in contrast, it makes the relationship sticky with emotions of pain, hate and disgus.

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