Creating Inspiring Workshops and Courses in Transdisciplinarity: A Guide - Manual / Resource - Page 98
underpins those assumptions can build better understanding
among collaborators.
Normativity is implicit in all our decisions and activities, but in
a TDR context it is particularly useful to consider normativity
in relation to the design of the research project. Questions that
research teams may ask to surface the normativity implicit in
their project include:
•
What is being studied? (What are valid research
questions? What parts of complex social-ecological
phenomena are included? What is excluded? Why?)
•
How is it being studied? (What methodologies and
methods are being used? Who or what is included or
excluded by this choice?)
•
How are data or other information interpreted? (Which
concepts or theories are taking priority? Why? Who is
interpreting the data, and who is not?)
•
Which action steps are proposed or enacted? (What
norms are evident or implied in the solutions?).
Further reading:
•
Navigating through normative dimensions.
•
Miller, Thaddeus R. 2013. Constructing Sustainability
Science: Emerging Perspectives and Research
Trajectories. Sustainability Science 8 (2): 279–93.
•
Scholz, Roland. 2017. The Normative Dimension
in Transdisciplinarity, Transition Management, and
Transformation Sciences: New Roles of Science and
Universities in Sustainable Transitioning. Sustainability 9
(6): 991.
Where values are different and may be contested, teams will
need to gauge the impact of divergent norms and whether some
form of reconciliation between them should be attempted.
Sometimes simple recognition is enough to allow groups to
move forward; other times more proactive responses, such as
mediation or reconfiguring team roles or membership, may be
needed. Overall, however, examining and recognizing diverse
norms across a project is a healthy foundation for building a
strong team.
p. 93
Practices Normativity
