Confluence of knowledge: cyclical steps for transdisciplinary research in practice, Brazil

Authors

  • Gabriela De La Rosa Wageningen University and Research

Keywords:

Transdisciplinarity, Participatory action research, Emotions, Transformative, Methodologies

Abstract

Transdisciplinarity has been widely emphasized as an alternative approach for mitigating the social-environmental crises, and it is motivated by the limitations of compartmentalized disciplinary research. Transdisciplinarity is also a methodological process of learning and co-production, but its success requires attention to the complexity of human relationships, such as diverse values, interests, and tensions. This article aims to share insights from a transdisciplinary process co-developed with a fishing community and an academic research team in Brazil. It discusses steps for taking transdisciplinary research into practice, while also offering critical perspectives. By reflecting on these steps, I hope to assist research involving various stakeholders in better understanding the responsibilities and practical demands involved in converging different knowledge(s). By offering new avenues for addressing the problems of our interconnected world, the article asks for creativity and engagement to understand and develop practices of confluence of knowledge. This article does not aim to bring a recipe or a rigid structure to transdisciplinarity, but it is an invitation to think about how (or if) we are doing transdisciplinary science in a transformative way. Are we just reproducing the dominant pattern of science or creating novel pathways?

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Published

2025-01-29

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