Short abstract:

This contribution seeks to engage in joint explorations of the histories, values and practices of transdisciplinary research and education from an STS perspective.

Long abstract:

As STS scholar experienced in collaborating in as well as devising transdisciplinary (td) research settings, I am intrigued by the panel’s invitation to engage in an open conversation across disciplines, fields, topical and regional dimensions, on the past and future trajectories of td research.

My proposed contribution draws on a range of insights e.g., from an extended collaborative ethnography in the realm of smart urbanism, practical experience of devising tools and processes for participatory technology design and sustainability transformation, teaching of theoretical and methodological aspects of transdisciplinary collaboration for social science and engineering students, and most recently the efforts of institutionalizing td research in the German Higher Education landscape.

I hope to participate in the suggested sessions, looking forward to the interactive formats in lieu of or in addition to traditional paper presentations. I am especially interested in jointly exploring some of the following questions: Which understandings, methods and goals of td research circulate? What do they have in common and where do they differ in crucial, possibly irreconcilable ways? Which roles and relations among participants in td research do they entail? How is td research made valuable, (e)valuated, and for/ by whom? And how are td research practices supported by (institutional) infra/structures or not, in different local contexts?

As a seed paper, I suggest the STS classic: Callon, M. (1999). The Role of Lay People in the Production and Dissemination of Scientific Knowledge. Science, Technology and Society, 4(1), 81-94. https://doi.org/10.1177/097172189900400106