Transdisciplinarity

Proposing a heuristic reflective tool for reviewing literature in transdisciplinary research for sustainability

by A. Idil Gaziulusoy

co-authored with Assoc. Prof. Carol Boyle of University of Auckland

Projects aiming to solve socially-relevant complex problems in general and sustainability related projects in... more Projects aiming to solve socially-relevant complex problems in general and sustainability related projects in particular are increasingly approached as transdisciplinary research projects. Reviewing and integrating literature and theory across a broad range of disciplines is identified as one of the main quality criteria for transdisciplinary research. Such broad preparation, however, is a major challenge, especially for individual researchers. Even though this challenge has been acknowledged, no systematic way of approaching it has been proposed so far. This paper presents a heuristic tool developed to help individual researchers undertaking transdisciplinary projects in systematic structuring and prioritization of the literature review/reporting process. Using this tool, the transdisciplinary researcher undertakes an iterative, reflective enquiry throughout the research project to identify several literature review filters. A PhD research project, which investigated system innovation for sustainability at product development level, is used as a case study to illustrate the use of the tool. The findings of the case study provided suggestive evidence that the tool addresses the emerging need for a systematic way of reviewing and reporting of literature in transdisciplinary research undertaken by individual researchers effectively.

Promoting scientific dialogue as a lifelong learning process

by Michel Alhadeff-Jones

Alhadeff-Jones, M. (2008). Promoting scientific dialogue as a lifelong learning process. In F. Darbellay, M. Cockell, J. Billotte & F. Waldvogel (Ed.). A Vision of Transdisciplinarity. Laying Foundations for a World Knowledge Dialogue (pp.94-102). Lausanne, Switzerland: Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Press.

The aim of this paper is to reconsider some of the stakes involved in the dialogue between sciences and between... more The aim of this paper is to reconsider some of the stakes involved in the dialogue between sciences and between scientists, considering it as a complex and critical learning process. Dialogue – as conversation, expression, performance and negotiation – can be conceived in several ways. It carries both an epistemic and an experiential side. It involves simultaneously heterogeneous theories and identities. Because it involves fragmented scientific languages, it also requires a shared vision. But above all, what seems critical to acknowledge is that dialogue is a matter of transformation. And because transformation is also a matter of learning, the promotion of dialogue between sciences should be perceived as a virtuous spiral involving: instrumental learning (to dialogue), communicational learning (what we mean by dialoguing) and emancipatory learning (to challenge our core assumptions about dialogue and sciences). Considering the evolution of sciences as a double process embedded in the production of knowledge and the self-development of researchers raises the question of how to conceive simultaneously the relationships between these two major stakes. From a practical point of view, considering scientific dialogue as a lifelong learning process would finally suggest the management of forums like the World Knowledge Dialogue (WKD) as a privileged educational opportunity to be designed following what is known about science as a social practice and about researchers as adult learners. Based on the first edition of this forum, four suggestions are finally considered: favoring heterogeneity; valorizing formal knowledge as well as lived experience; acknowledging the learning dimension involved in the process of sharing; and confronting professional experience with knowledge produced about sciences.

IV Congreso Internacional de transdisciplinariedad, complejidad y ecoformación

by Alvaro Augusto Schmidt Neto

Sujeito, natureza e sociedade: uma análise pitagórica e

by Alvaro Augusto Schmidt Neto

Aprendizagem Transdisciplinar: a Experiência do Conflito

by Alvaro Augusto Schmidt Neto

POLYGAMY IN EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH: SELFISH REFLECTIONS ON 'AFTER SCHOOL: THE DISRUPTIVE WORK OF INFORMAL EDUCATION'

by Richard Davies

Pop, I.G., Popoviciu, S.A., Popoviciu, I. (2010) Transdisciplinary approach on knowledge production in family as community of practice, Problems of Education in the 21st century, 21, 141-152

by Ioan Popoviciu

This paper presents a new perspective on family as a possible community of practice using a transdisciplinary approach... more This paper presents a new perspective on family as a possible community of practice using a transdisciplinary approach and the search window methodology with top-down and bottom up levels of knowledge. In a family as community of practice communication is facilitated by a flexible accessible structure (mutual engagement) between parents to children (top-down perspective) and children to parents (bottom-up perspective). In this mutual inform-action process parents through the mechanism of authority and collaborative relationships encourage learning as a central aspect of children identity shaped by family participation. The children, through the mechanism of apprenticeship learn through sharing information and experiences. This process of mutual engagement leads to a shared understanding (joint enterprise) and new resources (shared repertoire) which are the building blocks of a community of practice.

Higher Education for Sustainable Consumption: Concept and Results of a Transdisciplinary Project Course

by Marco Rieckmann

Fischer, D., & Rieckmann, M. (2010). Higher Education for Sustainable Consumption: Concept and Results of a Transdisciplinary Project Course. Journal of Sustainability Education, 1(2), 296–306

We introduce the notion of sustainable consumption as a transdisciplinary challenge to higher education through the... more We introduce the notion of sustainable consumption as a transdisciplinary challenge to higher education through the presentation of a concept seminar designed as a response to this challenge. The seminar aimed to equip students with the skills and competencies needed to design informal learning settings in close collaboration with campus service-providers (e.g. coffee shops, canteen, campus vegetable stall, bike repair shop) with the goal of incorporating sustainability principles into students’ experience while obtaining or consuming those services.  The student projects were informed and guided by the didactic first phase of the seminar where transdisciplinary collaboration for sustainable development, informal learning theories, consumer competence models and project management were covered. Results of the project course comprise (a) self-reported competence increase in designing and providing settings for sustainable learning on side of the participating students, (b) highly visible imprints of sustainable consumption on the entire campus and (c) an increased awareness of the principles and objectives of sustainable consumption for the participating service-provider partners.

THEORIAS - Réseau international de chercheurs pour la théorisation transdisciplinaire de la spiritualité

by Jean Ehret

On February 18, 2012, an international network for the transdisciplinary theorization of spirituality was founded at... more On February 18, 2012, an international network for the transdisciplinary theorization of spirituality was founded at the Catholic University of Louvain. People interested may find the statutes in this document. For more information and for joining the group, please email me.

Health information and technology: a transdisciplinary teaching and learning model

by Ivan Ricarte

Co-authored with Maria Cristiane Barbosa Galvão and Aline Priscila Daura. Published in Perspectivas em Ciência da Informação, 2011. In Portuguese.

The present research focused on the question of how professionals from the field of information and from the field of... more The present research focused on the question of how professionals from the field of information and from the field of technology can be prepared to deal with health related problems, taking into account the basic concepts of technology, information, and health; the observation of curricular proposals; the analysis of health-related software and hardware; and the critical analysis of current literature. As the initial hypothesis, a transdisciplinary teaching and learning model was proposed considering four aspects: interaction among lecturers and students from different fields of knowledge; integration between the external context with the context from the educational institution; institutional conditions; and systematization of a teaching and learning project. To analyze this hypothesis, a qualitative method, the action-research, was adopted during one year in the offer of two courses, with 60 hours each, and the participation of 35 students. The proposed model was adequate to teach and learn technology and information in health, and emphasized relevant parameters to be considered in transdisciplinary educational contexts, such as linguistic competence, conceptual harmonization, ethical standards, the language of selected texts, and the relation between problems is discussed in the educational and external contexts.

A Method to Constrain Review and Reporting of Literature in Transdisciplinary Research

by A. Idil Gaziulusoy

work in progress

Transdisciplinary projects pose unique challenges to individual researchers. One of these challenges is the... more Transdisciplinary projects pose unique challenges to individual researchers. One of these challenges is the requirement to cover a very wide area of literature effectively. The purpose of this paper is to propose a method to aid researchers of transdisciplinary projects in systematic structuring and prioritisation of literature review/reporting process. The method is explained through a case of a Ph.D. research from which the method has emerged. Guidelines are provided to help individual researchers to work through the complexity of their own literature review task. An example is provided to demonstrate how the method is used by an individual researcher. In this method, the researcher, who is undertaking transdisciplinary research, identifies and reflects on a long-term vision that he/she aims to contribute towards its achievement. Identification of a vision is the starting point for setting filters for narrowing the literature review. Further narrowing is done through an iterative process of identifying other filters by inquiring about the mission, context and content of the research and by answering some reflective questions. This method will help the individual researchers in tackling the daunting task of broad preparation required by transdisciplinary research projects during a -hopefully- transitionary period towards an academia fully embracing transdisciplinary praxis in order to solve socially-relevant complex problems.

Integration in Interdisciplinarity and Transdisciplinarity. Report from the international TD-Net conference in Bern

by Machiel Keestra

Co-authored with Julie Klein and Rick Szostak for the March 2010 newsletter of the Association for Integrative Studies

The Network for Transdisciplinary Research,
known as td-net, is the largest multilingual
international... more The Network for Transdisciplinary Research,
known as td-net, is the largest multilingual
international organization devoted to
transdisciplinary research (http://www.
transdisciplinarity.ch/). It was started in 2000 by
the Swiss Academic Society for Environmental
Research & Ecology and since 2008 has been
overseen by the Swiss Academies of Arts and
Sciences. In addition to hosting a website, td-net
sponsors a bibliographical database of literature
on transdisciplinary research (TDR), publications,
projects, conferences, and a biannual award
for outstanding projects. AIS members Julie
Thompson Klein (former President), Machiel Keestra
(International Liaison), and Rick Szostak (Board of
Directors member) attended the latest td-net conference
November 19-21, 2009, in Berne, Switzerland and
present here a report on the meeting and our reflections.

Towards a cyber-semiotic foundation of a scientifically adequate Functional Discourse Grammar

by Ole Nedergaard Thomsen

Abstract proposal for a paper within our project on Cybersemiotics and Functional Linguistics (esp., Functional Discourse Grammar and Distributed Language Theory).
Co-authored with Søren Brier, Dec. 2011.
Comments welcome

In this paper we shall try to give a foundation for a scientifically adequate Functional Discourse Grammar. By the... more In this paper we shall try to give a foundation for a scientifically adequate Functional Discourse Grammar. By the term ’scientific adequacy’ Functional Grammar’s original types of adequacy, inherited by Functional Discourse Grammar, have been generalized: typological, psychological, and pragmatic, for we believe that a lot more has to be involved in scientific model building. Firstly, scientific adequacy will involve observational and descriptive adequacy, in addition to Functional Discourse Grammar’s adequacies. The former, observational adequacy, will deal with the problem of observing natural language and language use (e.g., ’the observer’s paradox’ of how to obtain samples of natural, vernacular speech, not distorted by observation), but in the first place we have to determine what counts as a linguistic observation (what is observed?). Then, how many and what kinds of observations do we need, for them to be representative of the whole population? Descriptive adequacy will have to define types of scientific model building – e.g., will a symbolic-diagrammatic description be adequate (e.g., Functional Discourse Grammar’s formulae and flow diagrams)? or should we use a connectionist, neural network model? – clearly the answers depend on (the type or aspect of) the observandum we are interested in, and on which aspects of it we abstract away, or on which level of granularity is needed (e.g., minute real-time factors in some topics of psycholinguistics).

With respect to explanatory (typological, psychological, and pragmatic) adequacy, we propose that Functional Discourse Grammar’s model of verbal language must be given a cyber-semiotic foundation (Brier 2008), and by this we mean, on the one hand, a cognitive (’second-order cybernetics’) and, on the other, a semiotic foundation. Cyber-semiotics implies that linguistic communication, the Natural Language User, and language (observandum) be investigated (trans- and inter-disciplinarily) in four irreducible dimensions (the ‘cybersemiotic star model’), viz., 1. as part of the physical world (perceptibe signs), 2. as part of the biological world (neurological-physiological embodiment), 3. as part of the psychological world (cognitive and phenomenological substrate), and 4. as part of the social world (socio-cultural situatedness). The four explanatory dimensions are not disparate, but complementary and united by a conception of ’absolute naturalism’, that is, that they all are integrated aspects of the natural world.

Cyber-semiotics is an evolutionary theory. Thus, we focus on language and linguistic communication as evolutionary phenomena. This may be self-evident but implies that a model of (a) language and of the Natural Language User (linguistic cyborg) should always ultimately be seen in this perspective, which again means that the model views (verbal) language as an integrated part of ’total integrated evolutionary multimodal communication’, involving, i.a., co-produced gesture.
The evolutionary perspective has the ramification that a Functional Discourse Grammar should be seen (at least) in the temporal perspective of: 1. the evolution of (human) language in the species, 2. the history of the speech tradition of a given speech community, and 3. the development of the language(s) of the individual Natural Language User (i.a. first-language acquisition, second-language acquisition, language loss, language impairment), as well as 4. the on-line incremental development of a given communication.


Keywords: Cybersemiotics, Functional Discourse Grammar, Functional Grammar, Natural Language User, linguistic cyborg, scientific adequacy: observational adequacy, descriptive adequacy, explanatory adequacy: psychological adequacy, pragmatic adequacy, typological adequacy, transdisciplinarity, interdisciplinarity, the cybersemiotic star model: physical dimension, biological dimension, psychological dimension, sociological dimension; total integrated evolutionary multimodal communication

Practising interdisciplinarity in the interplay between disciplines: experiences of established researchers

by Melf-Hinrich Ehlers

« Entre nous! Rencontre disciplinaire autour de la mémoire des groupes », Conserveries mémorielles. Revue transdisciplinaire de jeunes chercheurs. À paraître.

by Alexandre Turgeon

[Avec Raphaël Gani]

Les indicateurs de développement durable. Fondements et applications. /Indicators of sustainable development. Fundamentals and applications

by Bruno Kestemont

PhD thesis.

We study how different world views may influence how to develop sustainable development indicators. The comparison of... more We study how different world views may influence how to develop sustainable development indicators. The comparison of weak sustainability and strong sustainability serves as a guide to estimate the share of objective versus normative choice of parameters and their method of aggregation. We then present a typology of actors and shared responsibilities, which may also introduce large discrepancies in the results published. Some case studies illustrate these different elements in contrasting contexts. It appears that it is possible to identify in each calculation of sustainable development indicator, a relatively objective component of sustainability and a negotiable component of shared rights and responsibilities.

Art visuel, imagination et spiritualité. Pour une topographie spirituelle guidée par l’imagination

by Daniel Proulx

Publié dans Théologique, vol. 18, no. 2, pp. 144-162

Résumé
Cet article a pour assise l’idée selon laquelle en revalorisant une certaine forme d’imagination, il est... more Résumé
Cet article a pour assise l’idée selon laquelle en revalorisant une certaine forme d’imagination, il est possible de trouver dans l’art moderne et contemporain une source et un refuge pour la spiritualité. Pour ce faire, l’auteur traite de l’autonomisation séculière de l’art au xxe siècle, une sécularisation qui en apparence s’oppose à l’art proprement religieux, mais qui dans ce mouvement de séparation repense et transforme son rapport au religieux et au spirituel, moins qu’il ne l’efface. Il situe ensuite la profondeur d’horizon ouvert par la notion d’imagination et d’imaginal, ce qui permet d’introduire l’idée du mundus imaginalis. Enfin, il rapproche l’art abstrait et l’imaginal pour montrer que l’univers auquel ces deux forces rendent attentif semble mener précisément à un monde qui leur est commun : le monde imaginal.

Abstract

This paper’s contention is that through the revaluation of a particular form of imagination, it is possible to find in modern and contemporary art a source and a refuge for spirituality. To do so, this paper studies the secularisation of art through the 20th century, a secularisation that appears to stand against religious art, but which, in this opposition, re-thinks and re-shapes its relationship to the religious and the spiritual, much more so than it erases it. The depth that the notion of imagination and imaginal creates is then presented, which allows the introduction of mundus imaginalis. Last of all, this paper compares abstract art and imaginal to show that the universe
toward which these two forces draw our attention leads precisely to their
common link: the imaginal world.

Conceptual Barriers to Creating Integrative Universities

by Jon Awbrey

Awbrey, S.M., and Awbrey, J.L. (May 2001), “Conceptual Barriers to Creating Integrative Universities”, Organization : The Interdisciplinary Journal of Organization, Theory, and Society 8(2), Sage Publications, London, UK, pp. 269–284.

Today’s society looks to universities for solutions to broad-based issues that require cross-disciplinary expertise.... more Today’s society looks to universities for solutions to broad-based issues that require cross-disciplinary expertise. Yet, the organizational structure of our institutions remains locked in academic and administrative silos that have little genuine ability to communicate or to recognize the interdependence of knowledge. Why does the capacity to communicate between disciplines and units remain limited? How do formalizations of our experience create barriers? What kind of reflection would it take to subject our mental models of knowledge and learning to critical inquiry? This discussion highlights one of the most entrenched ‘group identity myths’ that underlie the structure of modern academic institutions, the ‘triviality of integration’ thesis.

Considering the Normative, Systemic and Procedural Dimensions In Indicator-Based Sustainability Assessments In Agriculture

by Giuseppe Feola

with C.R. Binder and J. Steinberger, Environmental Impact Assessment Review, 30(2):71-81. Also available here: http://centaur.reading.ac.uk/24001/

This paper develops a framework for evaluating sustainability assessment methods by separately analyzing their... more This paper develops a framework for evaluating sustainability assessment methods by separately analyzing their normative, systemic and procedural dimensions as suggested by Wiek and Binder [Wiek, A, Binder, C. Solution spaces for decision-making – a sustainability assessment tool for city-regions. Environ Impact Asses Rev 2005, 25: 589-608.]. The framework is then used to characterize indicator-based sustainability assessment methods in agriculture. For a long time, sustainability assessment in agriculture has focused mostly on environmental and technical issues, thus neglecting the economic and, above all, the social aspects of sustainability, the multi-functionality of agriculture and the applicability of the results. In response to these shortcomings, several integrative sustainability assessment methods have been developed for the agricultural sector. This paper reviews seven of these that represent the diversity of tools developed in this area. The reviewed assessment methods can be categorized into three types: (i) top-down farm assessment methods; (ii) top-down regional assessment methods with some stakeholder participation; (iii) bottom-up, integrated participatory or transdisciplinary methods with stakeholder participation throughout the process. The results readily show the trade-offs encountered when selecting an assessment method. A clear, standardized, top-down procedure allows for potentially benchmarking and comparing results across regions and sites. However, this comes at the cost of system specificity. As the top-down methods often have low stakeholder involvement, the application and implementation of the results might be difficult. Our analysis suggests that to include the aspects mentioned above in agricultural sustainability assessment, the bottom-up, integrated participatory or transdisciplinary methods are the most suitable ones.

Contributions des approches anthroposociales au champ transdisciplinaire et intersectoriel de la recherche en santé mondiale

by José Carlos Suárez-Herrera

Suárez-Herrera, J. C. et Blain M.-J. (dir.). (2011). Compte-rendu du colloque « Contributions des approches anthroposociales au champ transdisciplinaire et intersectoriel de la recherche en santé mondiale ». Montréal (Québec) : Programme interuniversitaire de formation en recherche en santé mondiale (Santé-Cap), 46 p.

La nature transdisciplinaire et intersectorielle de la recherche en santé mondiale fait appel à des théories, des... more La nature transdisciplinaire et intersectorielle de la recherche en santé mondiale fait appel à des théories, des méthodes et des pratiques procédant de plusieurs courants de pensée contemporains fort éloignés du point vue épistémologique, mais potentiellement complémentaires. Cette confluence d’approches favorise l’émergence d’interactions dynamiques entre de nombreux acteurs concernés par la recherche tout en permettant de mettre en oeuvre une démarche dialectique entre, d’une part, des perspectives plus universalistes, qui prônent l’unicité des critères et l’équivalence du sens, et d’autre part, des approches nettement culturalistes, qui préconisent la cohérence interne et la différenciation identitaire.

Afin de rendre compte de cette complexité et des enjeux qui lui sont attribués, nous avons organisé, dans le cadre du 79e congrès de l’Acfas, un colloque visant l’alignement d’un ensemble de considérations conceptuelles, de choix méthodologiques et de stratégies opérationnelles essentiels au développement de compétences clés pour les chercheurs, praticiens, étudiants et gestionnaires en santé mondiale. Pour ce faire, nous avons compté sur la participation de chercheurs et d’étudiants post-gradués reconnus dans le domaine de la santé par la qualité et les retombées de leur production scientifique. La diversité transdisciplinaire de ces participants, provenant de plusieurs milieux académiques du Québec, offre un regard original sur la recherche en santé mondiale, se caractérisant surtout par l’étendue globale de sa perspective épistémologique ainsi que par sa sensibilité aux particularités locales de la santé des populations.

Tout en suivant la structure proposée au sein du colloque, les sections de ce compte-rendu illustrent les contenus qu’on a touchés au sein des trois sessions et de la table ronde de cet événement. Les deux premières sections sont consacrées respectivement aux considérations conceptuelles et aux choix méthodologiques associés à la recherche en santé mondiale. La troisième section est dédiée aux stratégies opérationnelles relatives à la pratique du chercheur en santé mondiale. Le compte-rendu se clôture par une dernière section axée sur les enjeux, les défis et les pistes de recherche et d’action pour la santé mondiale contemporaine.