Short Abstract:

This roundtable reflects on the significance of epistemological and ontological considerations in action-based and community-driven research, based on lessons from the transdisciplinary project “Global Epistemologies and Ontologies” (GEOS).

Long Abstract:

Epistemological and ontological matters have been recognized as driving many socio-ecological conflicts from the marginalization of indigenous knowledge in environmental conservation to diverging human-nature relations grounding conflicting visions of agricultural development. While the epistemological and ontological depth of socio-ecological conflicts has become widely emphasized in science and technology studies, much of this debate remains deeply theoretical and difficult to connect to action-oriented and participatory practices of community-based research. Based on the experiences of the transdisciplinary project “Global Epistemologies and Ontologies” (GEOS), this roundtable develops a collective reflection on the challenges and opportunities of taking epistemologies and ontologies into action through community-based research. Reflecting on diverse cases of GEOS, including intercultural education and participatory conservation in Brazil, as well as ethnobiology and rights of nature in Mexico, we aim for a multifaceted analysis of academic engagement with epistemologies and ontologies in practice. On the one hand, we reflect on the insights of addressing epistemological and ontological matters at the community level and connecting them with local practices such as conservation, education, and farming. Our GEOS cases show how engagement with epistemological and ontological matters can lead to more symmetrical dialogues that acknowledge local concepts and practices in transdisciplinary research. On the other hand, we discuss challenges and tensions that complexify relations between academic discourses and local interventions. Our GEOS cases also show that the transition from theoretical discourse to community action is complex and that theoretical debates about epistemologies and ontologies often do not align well with demands of practice. Based on an open roundtable discussion, we develop a collective reflection about the prospects of making epistemological and ontological debates actionable by taking them from academic discourse into local practices. This roundtable is followed and accompanied by a separately submitted methods workshop for taking epistemologies and ontologies into action.