Future World History
From this point
“Historical and contemporary social forces need to be understood to make sense of the current global situation.”
We are at a remarkable point in our history where the future has caught up with us. In the past, we envisaged our future with a sense of wonder and with the promise of infinite possibilities. However many of our current systems, theories and practices have resulted in social and environmental crisis. The future is unclear, but it is now incumbent to all of humanity to create a new, more positive future.
The future does not exist in a vacuum, inherent in every potential future are its foundations in the past. We can see that the world is evolving, which in turn will create space for a new beginning; a new world, driven by a new generation. The changes are like a wave not yet regulated or structured but part of a natural process
This is where we are now, there are suggestions and solutions of where we can go. The start is with our individual stories and a mutual respect for what we all can bring to the table. An honest assessment of the benefits and failures of the past centuries could help to structure a new system.
In the first two decades of the 21st century, almost every aspect of human existence has become more complex and vulnerable. Social, economic and technological changes have allowed a greater shared experience of people, place, and values throughout the world.
Societies now have many questions, we rely on each other to change the story of our collective humanity and win back our collective future.
Generational shift
Focus 2050
There is a worldwide increase in youth activism and political involvement, young people today want to disconnect from today’s political mechanisms and economic structures. This demand for change affects almost every aspect of life. The call is for a more social society focused on solidarity, human wellness, empathy and sustainability.
Small groups are capable of affecting changes in established social conventions. The current global movement is the first revolution organised via the Internet and it is leaderless; it is about the power of the masses. As change begins to grow, it can accelerate quickly, and anything becomes possible on a sufficiently long timeline.
Today’s actions are being largely driven by a younger generation, but every strata of our society is equally important. Every generation has it challenges, a mutually respectful relationship is vital for meaningful change. It is important to bridge generation gaps, the wisdom that comes with age can be the guiding light for future societies.
Thirty years is the right amount of time to change the majority point of view. In thirty years it will be 2050, and the normal flow of life is that by then one-third of the people now alive will have passed away and half of the population will be new (source: Yancey Strickler). Europe and Asia have aging populations while Africa is home to the world’s largest youth population. A new generation comes with chnages in values, beliefs and behaviours. A new perspective will guide a world that is no longer Western-centric.
Why this matters
Beliefs and behaviours that are commonplace today will be replaced by future generations, setting the stage for a big shift in values.
Now/ Xiuhtezcatl Martinez
Now is a platform that aims to empower people of all ages to easily support removing CO2 from the atmosphere through culture, technology, music via a flexible subscription model. Essentially, NOW is the Netflix of fighting the climate crisis.
Stormzy/ Time Magazine
British rapper Stormzy was named one of the next generation of leaders by Time magazine. He says: “I know it’s my purpose to just shine a light where I can, do something where I can, just whatever I can, in whatever way, shape or form.”
Zebras must be free/ Joana Choumali
Joana Choumali embroiders over pictures in a way that African cities become restorative dream worlds “There are many ways to protest. Mine is a soft and silent way.”
Rediscover the World
Grow your heart and your horizon
Economic inequality in the world has evolved as a product of historical developments, one of the most important of which was European colonialism. Five hundred years before colonisation, there was less economic inequality between countries.
When Spain embarked on a voyage of discovery in the 16th century, they discovered the magic of capitalism alongside the new world. People and nature were traded and used to make a profit. The populations revolted against colonial powers and built independent and sovereign nations. Decolonisation in the second half of the 20th century is seen as one of the essential liberating movements in history.
The future cannot be built without first acknowledging the past, the re-visioning of history has just begun. The next era will connect historical and contemporary forces, groups that have traditionally been underrepresented in society, in history books and future visions will now be seen.
For us to go forward as a society, we need to listen to music of the past, to drawing inspiration from indigenous ways of doing and infusing it with the energy of ritual. Our perception of the future can be guided by reflecting on past mistakes and triumphs.
The systems that are built today should also be analysed. We now see the phenomenon of digital colonialism, tech companies that have expanded their products across the globe, extracting data and profit from users all around the world. The digital economy and AI needs to be inclusive as AI has the potential to profoundly impact our lives and transform our futures in ways both visible and invisible.
Why this matters
Be informed about history to better understand why the world is experienced as unfair by so many and to help build a better future.
Twins/ Theresa Fernandez
A reimagined map that shows the relationships between the continental shapes of South America and Africa. The term “Global South”does not refer to the geographical south, most people in what’s called “Global South” actually live within the Northern Hemisphere.
She Who Sees the Unknown/ Morehshin Allahyari
Iranian artist Morehshin Allahyari attempts to reclaim history and ownership of traditional mythologies by using opensource software and 3d printing for a series of sculptures of dark goddesses.
Costume/ Mary Sibande
Mary Sibande critiques stereotypical depictions of African women in society. She inverts the social power indexed by Victorian costumes by reconfiguring it as a domestic worker’s uniform by using the same fabric.
Re-imagining Growth
Commonality, multiplicity and solidarity
The generation shift that we now see is a movement away from a capitalist model, one with a purely financial motivation. One with the aim of maximising profit, including those for social institutions such as hospitals and schools.
The way our current economic system is structured is one that pursues economic growth to manage private and public debts. Banks are creating credit where the source of the money is often difficult to identify. The basics of finance have become hard to understand for many people.
The current system stimulates consumption and depletion of resources and is both ecologically and socially unsustainable. A more equal, less exploitative model is required. An alternative economic structure and a change in financial systems from: how money is organised, the price of products and services, and the division of wealth and how to create value and competitive mindsets. Everything is related; economy, development, sustainability, justice and motivation.
Inequality has negative consequences for the economy; the problem is often far more significant than the poorest of the poor. The middle class is on average, only a month or three away from the poverty line. With a flat wage increase and rising costs of housing, education and healthcare, the middle class is struggling, a vulnerability not previously seen.
Our tools shape our identities and how we relate to the world and therefore design can contribute to creating positive social change. Design becomes relevant when it addresses the commonplace daily issues and struggles that we all face.
Why this matters
Begin again with economics, understanding and letting go of what no longer works and acknowledging reality.
(Not) Another tower proposal/ Tatiana Bilbao
The proposal seeks to reconcile vertical urbanisation that is capable of fostering a city’s civic character. Since cities are patchworks of historical layers, the project attempts to emulate the urbanisation process by subdividing the tower into 192 plots and working with 14 collaborative neighbours.
vTaiwan/ g0v
vTaiwan is an experiment in participatory governance, the process is designed to facilitate consensus-building between diverse opinion groups.
Au/ Tomoko Azumi for Kwame Kwei-Armah
Azumi made a unique chair for Kwei-Armah of wood that made him think of outdoor furniture in the Caribbean and the slave ships that brought his ancestors from Africa to the Caribbean. The designer used thin slats of red oak that were bent into the shape of a boat structure. The chair will be placed in his garden, before passing it on to his grandson.
Universal Resonance
Cultural relevance
Expressions through art, music, film, video, sports, fashion and lifestyle influence and ultimately contribute to our societies. Art does not avoid the darker aspects of society and what it really means to be human. It can help us to identify ourselves. Although culture continues to change rapidly with the advancements in technology; music, film and fashion will always connect people and allow us to share special aspects of our cultures with one another.
Culture and music flow together. Artists and designers translate the times we live in and shape the future of our culture as they seek new expression. It is vital for the future of contemporary culture to respect, support and be part of the community.
Artists and designers of today combine many different media and translate this into tracks, art, fashion, design, and film, often combining multi disciplines. Often seeing themselves as participating within a larger movement that has moved beyond individual ego.
Young people today are the most culturally diverse population to date and research shows that they define their cultural identity in a fundamentally different way than the generations before. By embracing and balancing multiple cultures, they move their cultural identity beyond definitions of race and ethnicity, cultures are blended as never before.
Why this matters
Traditions from a culture can provide firm roots. Being culturally relevant, everyone exists within a cultural context and can add something to the whole.
Borderland/ Alia Ali
Alia Ali is a Yemeni-Bosnian-US multi-media artist. Posing beneath each piece of intricately patterned fabric sits the artisan who created it. By leaving the curtian veiled, the identity of the figure remains beautifully loaded with limitless possibility.
Picture/ Mous Lamrabatat
There’s a special kind of alchemy at work in Moroccan Belgium Mous Lamrabatat images, that comes from not planning every last detail. “I always try and place myself in a universe where nothing has been created yet.”
Animated video/ KayaKata
Hip-hop band KayaKata see their music as audiobooks, graphic novels or animations, closer to the feelings you get when you read literature and comics.
The Ecosystem of Wicked Problems/ Christian Sarkar and Philip Kotler
What are the most urgent issues facing society?
How did we get here? What are the root causes?
Further reading
Designs for the Pluriverse/ Arturo Escobar
A vision of design theory and practice aimed at channeling design's world-making capacity toward ways of being and doing that are deeply attuned to justice and the Earth, Escobar shows how refiguring current design practices could lead to the creation of more just and sustainable social orders.
Why I am No Longer Talking to White People About Race/ Reni Eddo-Lodge
Exploring eradicated black history and the inextricable link between class and race, a book for anyone who wants to understand race relations in Britain today.
History of the World in Seven Cheap Things/ Raj Patel and Jason W. Moore
Throughout history, crises have created paths to make the world cheap and safe for capitalism. At a time of crisis in all seven cheap things, innovative and systemic thinking is urgently required.
Invisible Women, Data Bias in a World Designed for Men/ Caroline Criado Perez
Data is fundamental to the modern world. Caroline Criado Perez investigates how data bias causes gender inequality, influencing women’s lives at home, the workplace, the public square, the doctor’s office, and more.