For the second time, the Network for Transdisciplinary Research (td-net) organizes, with the Institute of Geography of the University of Berne (Switzerland) and in partnership with the Stiftung Mercator Schweiz, an annual conference dedicated to practices, methodologies and epistemologies of inter- and transdisciplinary research and teaching. After having focused on the theme of Problem Framing as a decisive and determining initial phase of the research process (see td-conference 2008), the theme selected for 2009 is Integration, considered as the process of relating knowledge and perspective of the academic and non-academic experts involved in the research.
Such integration can be more or less targeted to an overall synthesis, ranging from mutual exchange and learning about different perspectives to jointly developing a theoretical understanding or a quantitative model of the issue at stake. The status of integration as one of the core elements of inter- and transdisciplinarity explains why the label “Integrative Studies” often figures as a synonym for inter- and transdisciplinary research.
By not only transgressing disciplinary boundaries but including knowledge from academic and non-academic experts, an approach to integration has to support two major integrative moves: first, academic expert knowledge has to be linked to non-academic expert knowledge in ways that are conducive to problem solving and, second, the specific knowledge from highly specialized disciplines has to be made accessible and transferable to concrete life-world contexts.
The td-conference 2009 Integration in Inter- and Transdisciplinary research: Forging Collective Concepts, Methods and Practices — Changing Structures specifically aims to:
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learn about practical experiences of integrating concepts, methods and practices from research and teaching on issues of gender, health, environment, new technologies or science-and-literature/arts, among others;
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self-reflectively address the norm, values and institutional factors that drive and enable or hinder integrative frameworks;
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present and critically discuss theoretical, conceptual and methodological models and “tool kits” for integration;
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collectively forge theories, concepts and practices to integration in inter- and transdisciplinary research.
Abstract proposals can but submitted until June 16, 2009.
Provisional program and participation conditions.
Illustration: Automania, “Spider Web Gravity Well”, 10.2.2006, Flickr (Creative Commons license).
