Creating Inspiring Workshops and Courses in Transdisciplinarity: A Guide - Manual / Resource - Page 68
Fundamental concepts in transdisciplinary research theory
De昀椀nition and attributes: Introducing transdisciplinary research
De昀椀nition
Transdisciplinary research aims
at crossing boundaries between
scientific disciplines and societal
actors to develop knowledge that can
help to address, mitigate, or prevent
sustainability challenges.
A transdisciplinary research process
links societal problem-solving with
scientific evidence using a process of
co-producing knowledge. It includes
relevant societal actors and scientific
disciplines from the outset of a project.
As a collaborative group, they jointly
analyze the problems, discuss what
could be more desirable futures, define
concrete goals, and cooperate on
strategies and actions.
p. 63
Attributes
Transdisciplinary projects have common attributes that distinguish them from other
disciplinary or interdisciplinary projects. The following eight attributes, especially when
occurring in combination, can be used diagnostically. A typical transdisciplinary project:
•
Aims to work on societal challenges;
•
Aims to be an ongoing social-learning process for the researchers and other
participants;
•
Recognizes that sustainability issues are most often complex, requiring attention
to be paid to problem definition and setting boundaries, as well as ongoing
adaptive and non-adaptive change;
•
Often takes a conscious normative position, seeking to promote agreed
sustainability principles or some other “common good”;
•
Appreciates that there are different perspectives, knowledges, and ways of
thinking and doing, some of which it will usually seek to integrate;
•
Typically requires attention to relationships, power relations, and trust both
among the researchers and with the societal actors;
•
Usually seeks to provide a more systemic and comprehensive understanding of
the problem, as well as determining what could be done and how best to achieve
this outcome; and
•
Is almost always context dependent, but generally also strives to achieve
outcomes that can be adapted to other contexts.
Concepts Definition and attributes
