Learning through interdisciplinary dialogue: Methodological approaches for bridging epistemological divides
Scientific innovations for sustainable development often make huge promises about overcoming climate change, or promote technological innovations that have potential development implications. However, the social outcomes of such interventions are often considered superficially; thus potentially rein...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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SAGE Publishing
2023-11-01
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| Series: | Methodological Innovations |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1177/20597991231202887 |
| _version_ | 1797447523250470912 |
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| author | Eleanor Brown Joshua Kirshner Lynda Dunlop Richard Friend Sally Brooks Kelly Redeker Ana Zimmermann Paul H Walton João Cairo Fernanda Veneu |
| author_facet | Eleanor Brown Joshua Kirshner Lynda Dunlop Richard Friend Sally Brooks Kelly Redeker Ana Zimmermann Paul H Walton João Cairo Fernanda Veneu |
| author_sort | Eleanor Brown |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Scientific innovations for sustainable development often make huge promises about overcoming climate change, or promote technological innovations that have potential development implications. However, the social outcomes of such interventions are often considered superficially; thus potentially reinforcing injustices or producing unforeseen, undesirable outcomes. Increasingly, projects claim to have an interdisciplinary dimension, but processes of interdisciplinary dialogue can be difficult to maintain. This means that researchers have to be prepared to engage in potentially extensive, transformative dialogue and be willing to learn from the disciplinary knowledge of the other. This can be methodologically challenging both for natural and social scientists. This paper reports meta-research exploring the methodological processes and learning experiences of academics involved in research on the implementation of second-generation biofuel technology. Through interdisciplinary meetings, workshops, reflections and interviews we built up sustainable relationships and bridged epistemological divides. Our approach to interdisciplinary dialogue offers insights into the methodological challenges of interdisciplinary work. We used the framework of transformative learning theory to identify key aspects of the interdisciplinary process and reflected on the need for sustained and open opportunities for dialogue in order to find genuine ways to communicate across disciplines. We explicitly revealed and considered our taken-for-granted assumptions to identify what we understood by key terms and processes, including ‘sustainable’, ‘development’, ‘methodology’, ‘truth’, ‘marginal land’ and ‘outputs’. We found these encounters created opportunities to influence the trajectory of each other’s research and thinking, with the ideal of social and environmental justice prominent in all our discussions. It was through ongoing learning and dialogue that we found that the multifaceted challenges of sustainable development research can become more open, more critical and more able to reveal appropriate solutions and promote relevant ongoing scientific research. This interplay between disciplines is an innovative way to influence decision-making directly. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T13:57:14Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-9680498ee7f14056988b00d279734e52 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2059-7991 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T13:57:14Z |
| publishDate | 2023-11-01 |
| publisher | SAGE Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Methodological Innovations |
| spelling | doaj.art-9680498ee7f14056988b00d279734e522023-11-30T12:03:49ZengSAGE PublishingMethodological Innovations2059-79912023-11-011610.1177/20597991231202887Learning through interdisciplinary dialogue: Methodological approaches for bridging epistemological dividesEleanor Brown0Joshua Kirshner1Lynda Dunlop2Richard Friend3Sally Brooks4Kelly Redeker5Ana Zimmermann6Paul H Walton7João Cairo8Fernanda Veneu9Department of Education, University of York, York, UKDepartment of Environment and Geography, University of York, York, UKDepartment of Education, University of York, York, UKDepartment of Environment and Geography, University of York, York, UKSchool of Business and Society, University of York, York, UKDepartment of Biology, University of York, York, UKDepartment of Physical Education, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, BrazilDepartment of Chemistry, University of York, York, UKDepartment of Biochemistry, University of Campinas, Campinas, BrazilDepartment of Communication, Celso Suckow da Fonseca Federal Centre for Technical Education, Rio de Janeiro, BrazilScientific innovations for sustainable development often make huge promises about overcoming climate change, or promote technological innovations that have potential development implications. However, the social outcomes of such interventions are often considered superficially; thus potentially reinforcing injustices or producing unforeseen, undesirable outcomes. Increasingly, projects claim to have an interdisciplinary dimension, but processes of interdisciplinary dialogue can be difficult to maintain. This means that researchers have to be prepared to engage in potentially extensive, transformative dialogue and be willing to learn from the disciplinary knowledge of the other. This can be methodologically challenging both for natural and social scientists. This paper reports meta-research exploring the methodological processes and learning experiences of academics involved in research on the implementation of second-generation biofuel technology. Through interdisciplinary meetings, workshops, reflections and interviews we built up sustainable relationships and bridged epistemological divides. Our approach to interdisciplinary dialogue offers insights into the methodological challenges of interdisciplinary work. We used the framework of transformative learning theory to identify key aspects of the interdisciplinary process and reflected on the need for sustained and open opportunities for dialogue in order to find genuine ways to communicate across disciplines. We explicitly revealed and considered our taken-for-granted assumptions to identify what we understood by key terms and processes, including ‘sustainable’, ‘development’, ‘methodology’, ‘truth’, ‘marginal land’ and ‘outputs’. We found these encounters created opportunities to influence the trajectory of each other’s research and thinking, with the ideal of social and environmental justice prominent in all our discussions. It was through ongoing learning and dialogue that we found that the multifaceted challenges of sustainable development research can become more open, more critical and more able to reveal appropriate solutions and promote relevant ongoing scientific research. This interplay between disciplines is an innovative way to influence decision-making directly.https://doi.org/10.1177/20597991231202887 |
| spellingShingle | Eleanor Brown Joshua Kirshner Lynda Dunlop Richard Friend Sally Brooks Kelly Redeker Ana Zimmermann Paul H Walton João Cairo Fernanda Veneu Learning through interdisciplinary dialogue: Methodological approaches for bridging epistemological divides Methodological Innovations |
| title | Learning through interdisciplinary dialogue: Methodological approaches for bridging epistemological divides |
| title_full | Learning through interdisciplinary dialogue: Methodological approaches for bridging epistemological divides |
| title_fullStr | Learning through interdisciplinary dialogue: Methodological approaches for bridging epistemological divides |
| title_full_unstemmed | Learning through interdisciplinary dialogue: Methodological approaches for bridging epistemological divides |
| title_short | Learning through interdisciplinary dialogue: Methodological approaches for bridging epistemological divides |
| title_sort | learning through interdisciplinary dialogue methodological approaches for bridging epistemological divides |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1177/20597991231202887 |
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