TRIZ in the Aftermath of a Transnational Post-war History

This paper aims to contribute to a comparative history of creativity and invention techniques in the 20th century, especially after the end of World War II during the post-war period. In this history TRIZ plays a significant role, although it is hardly acknowledged because of the predominance of western creativity stereotypes within current scientific discourses. This paper has a strongly explorative character. It emphasizes neither the practical functionality nor the scientific validity of TRIZ but rather chooses for a comparative cultural-historical perspective. The more general contribution of this historical approach for the field of engineering and technological development can be seen in its corrective and self-reflexive potential. Recent discussions on TRIZ methodology might be differentiated and sharpen with regard to broader historical constellations, as well as future developments might be stimulated by innovative insights from the transnational post-war history of creativity.