Engineering has long positioned itself as a neutral, objective discipline—one of elegant equations, efficient systems, and technical mastery. Yet in practice, it has too often served as an unwitting accomplice to inequity: dams that displace Indigenous communities without consent, algorithms that embed racial bias, infrastructure that ignores the lived realities of the poor, or “smart cities” designed from boardrooms half a world away. These are not anomalies; they are symptoms of an engineering culture that privileges universalist solutions over contextual justice. True just engineering —engineering that actively advances equity, dismantles oppression, and centers human dignity—demands more than good intentions or ethics checklists. It requires a theoretical reorientation. The culture-centered approach (CCA) offers precisely such a framework. By foregrounding the dynamic interplay of culture, structure, and agency, CCA transforms engineering from a top-down imposition into a dialogic,...
This blog offers Mohan Dutta's reflections on the theoretical framework of the culture-centered approach, examining the interplays among culture, communication and marginalisation. It also explores resistance, the ways in which communities at the margins challenge structures. Writings on the blog are updated to reflect the organic analysis of structure and agency. These analyses are offered on a personal capacity and do not reflect the views of Prof. Dutta's employer.