Interdisciplinarity and transdisciplinarity (ITD) are seen, among other uses, as important means of producing knowledge for transformation, e.g through addressing societies’ grand challenges. However, disconnects between different communities who undertake collaborative research are evident in the literature and in practice. This disconnect is particularly puzzling in the case of Science and Technology Studies (STS) and ITD scholars who often share research topics –day-to-day practices of knowledge production, the influence of funding on the knowledge produced, etc. Yet, with some notable exceptions and efforts, there is little articulation between these communities. We see this as problematic as knowledge and recognised good practice on how to better foster inter- and transdisciplinary research are rendered invisible, causing unnecessarily fragmented approaches to shared knowledge domains.
This session will explore the many conceptual and methodological intersections between ITD and STS scholarships. We seek to discuss their mutual enrichment and their contributions to the advancement of research in these domains.
Workshop design
In this session, we aim at exploring the following questions:
- What are the ways and means by which ITD and STS research enrich each other?
- What are the roles researchers and practitioners perform when working in the intersections of ITD and STS? How are these roles transformed when working in the boundaries between ITD and STS?
- How can problem spaces be methodologically and conceptually defined when combining ITD and STS perspectives?
- How can ITD and STS unite to contribute to the making and doing of transformations?
- How does the emergence of new techniques of producing, distributing, evaluating and experiencing knowledge contribute to transformative ways of ITD and STS?
- How can science-society interfaces be more inclusive when STS and ITD work together?
The session (90 minutes) will take the format of a participatory forum in which small groups will discuss the questions guiding the session and build a rich map. Therefore the session is open to papers contributions from the community.
During the first part of the session (20 minutes), we will showcase impactful ITD and STS interactions from our own research and experience. We will also include a short provocation in this slot to guide the discussion in the rest of the session. If any papers are to be assigned to this session by the organizers, we will allocate enough time for that.
In the second half of the session (40 minutes), participants will respond to these presentations based on their own research practice. We will invite participants to work in small groups to identify best practices from their own expertise which can be further developed in collaborations between these fields.
The mapping exercise will be organized by convenors who will collect responses from the small group conversations (30 minutes). Responses can be words-focused, or creative and/or interpretative for a free-hand drawn map and will focus on the lived experiences of the participants before moving to change. Simultaneously, convenors will organize an artistic output and interaction including an artist who will respond to what they hear by drawing/painting/creating (through abstraction). This output will be projected onto another piece of paper/canvas on the wall. Then, participants will interact and respond freely to this representation by drawing onto the canvas or talking/clarifying when the representation doesn’t capture what they mean. If possible, a small usb microscope will be used for this projection, in order to “zoom in” on sticky points (figuratively and literally) and spend more time each relevant aspect.
The final outcome of the panel is to map the actions, pathways and intersections of STS and ITD brokering, employing design thinking or speculations/story-telling. We will explore visual representations and understandings of the landscape including overlaps and divergences. It is important to mention that a similar session will be held at the next EASST (European Association for the Study of Science and Technology) 2024 Conference in July, in which we seek to collect insights on the same questions by the STS community.
