University of Hertfordshire Research Archive

        JavaScript is disabled for your browser. Some features of this site may not work without it.

        Browse

        All of UHRABy Issue DateAuthorsTitlesThis CollectionBy Issue DateAuthorsTitles

        Arkivum Files

        My Downloads
        View Item 
        • UHRA Home
        • University of Hertfordshire
        • Research publications
        • View Item
        • UHRA Home
        • University of Hertfordshire
        • Research publications
        • View Item

        It's Personal : Subjectivity in Design History

        View/Open
        Accepted_Manuscript.pdf (PDF, 685Kb)
        Author
        Lees-Maffei, Grace
        Fallan, Kjetil
        School of Creative Arts
        Social Sciences, Arts & Humanities Research Institute
        Art and Design
        Theorising Visual Art and Design
        Attention
        2299/17538
        Abstract
        Postmodern theory might have finally killed off the utopian ideal of history as an objective science, but it has arguably left a vacuum, with no comprehensive debate on the role of subjectivity in history writing and its potential challenges and benefits. As scholars we are trained to put aside subjective responses in our analyses, and yet personal interests, values and experiences continue to inform the work of design historians, from our choice of subject matter and theoretical frameworks to our methodological approaches and conclusions. This topic has received occasional treatment in the broader realm of history from David Lowenthal’s seminal book The Past is a Foreign Country to the work of Dominick LaCapra (from History & Criticism to History in Transit), but remains unexplored in design history—a field where, we will argue, the role of subjectivity is particularly prominent. This special issue contributes an examination of this under-developed topic relevant to the field of design history and beyond.
        Publication date
        2015-04-21
        Published in
        Design and Culture
        Published version
        https://doi.org/10.2752/175470715X14153615623565
        Other links
        http://hdl.handle.net/2299/17538
        Metadata
        Show full item record
        Keep in touch

        © 2019 University of Hertfordshire

        I want to...

        • Apply for a course
        • Download a Prospectus
        • Find a job at the University
        • Make a complaint
        • Contact the Press Office

        Go to...

        • Accommodation booking
        • Your student record
        • Bayfordbury
        • KASPAR
        • UH Arts

        The small print

        • Terms of use
        • Privacy and cookies
        • Criminal Finances Act 2017
        • Modern Slavery Act 2015
        • Sitemap

        Find/Contact us

        • T: +44 (0)1707 284000
        • E: ask@herts.ac.uk
        • Where to find us
        • Parking
        • hr
        • qaa
        • stonewall
        • AMBA
        • ECU Race Charter
        • disability confident
        • AthenaSwan