A Retórica da Academia e os Limites da Comunicação

In areas of design practice, the paradigm of knowledge has not been clearly articulated, but some of its characteristics appear to include a valorisation of subjectivity; plurality of interpretation; objects that embody meanings; and that which cannot be expressed through language. These values run counter to traditional models of knowledge and research which, through the logic of its special language, value objectivity; singularity of interpretation; experiments that embody theoretical explanations; and concepts that can be coherently argued in words. Thus there is a problem in accounting for research in these areas in ways that will be recognised and valued by the academy. This article presents a sub-group of academic research that is specific to areas of design practice – Practice-based Research – as being problematic, and presents some current debates on the best way of dealing with some results that are considered, in academia, to be non-traditional.