6–10 Jun 2022
Tübingen
Europe/Berlin timezone

Bridging research cultures? The challenges of inter and trans disciplinary research

Speaker

Belinda Wheaton

Description

This paper takes up the challenge posed by the organising committee to explore the potential contributions of sport sociology to inter-disciplinary research. It is widely argued that to understand complex social processes and real-world challenges, new research strategies are required that rethink how science and society relate to each other, and how relevant knowledge is understood and produced across disciplines. Collaborations between various scientific/social-scientific disciplines and societal actors have been increasingly advocated, in areas from health to the environment, and termed inter-disciplinary or trans-disciplinary research.

In this paper I; a) explore the concepts of inter and transdisciplinary research; b) illustrate the current ascendancy of transdisciplinarity, marked by the growth of publications, a widening array of contexts including in physical activity, health and the environment, with increased interest across academic, public and private sectors. I argue however, that these terms are frequently misunderstood and misapplied, and that conceptual clarity is required, including in sports related research. Drawing on research on sport, human and more-than-human wellbeing in the Settler Colonial context of Aotearoa New Zealand, I consider some of the possibilities, and challenges of these approaches. In doing so my paper contributes to debates about the potential of Inter and trans disciplinary research in sport, physical activity and health research.

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