ABSTRACT

The call for co-design, co-production and co-dissemination in research projects has gained prominence, but still it remains vague what their implementation would require in both conceptual and practical terms. The experiences described in this book help clarify these issues and provide answers to key questions about the nature, practice and relevance of transdisciplinary research. Consideration of power, gender and culture as cross-cutting issues is central in work with partners of practice, as the inclusion and integration of diverse perspectives holds the promise of arriving at a sustainable solution. The co-production of knowledge aims at overcoming apparent dichotomies like observation vs. participation, planned vs. iterative research, risk vs. control and short-term vs. long-term engagement. Structural changes are needed to institutionalise transdisciplinary research as individual career paths, co-management on the project level and finally on the institutional level regarding academic structures and funding. The need for quality criteria to ensure credibility, salience and legitimacy raises the need for co-evaluation. Finally, co-dissemination of knowledge increases the likeliness of research to make a difference and induce social-ecological transformations towards sustainability. Transdisciplinarity is an emancipatory force and its beauty lies in its promise to incorporate ethics, aesthetics and creativity within disciplinary academic production.