some notes on mode 1 and mode 2heterogeneous set of practitioners, collaborating on a problem defined in a
specific and localized context.
(gibbons et al. 1994: 3)Transdisciplinarity constitutes the major concept of mode 2. since the book appeared
in 1994, an extensive discourse on transdisciplinarity has evolved. Transdisciplinarity
epitomizes a critical perspective on discipline- bound knowledge; on its insufficiency
with regard to the contemporary needs for socially critical knowledge. in order to better
comprehend the concept of transdisciplinarity, it is necessary to understand what is
being criticized. What we today call academic disciplines is a relatively new construct
and is associated with the development of modern universities, commencing with
the humboldt reforms of the german universities at the beginning of the nineteenth
century (nyseth 2007: 19). The notion of ‘discipline’ is related to an area of instruction
of students. The establishment and maintenance of academic disciplines is connected
with both a specific kind of knowledge and with power (moran 2002: 2). disciplines
are organized and work within special communication and control networks. They
represent a kind of knowledge production monopoly (harris 2002: 488).
many attempts to tear down, or only weaken, these disciplinary walls have been
made. There are several ways of doing so. The most well known are: multidisciplinar-
ity, interdisciplinarity and transdisciplinarity. While evaluating swedish architectural
research 1995–2005, an international panel agreed to use the following descriptions of
the differences between these three notions:
interdisciplinary research can be considered as a means to share disciplinary
knowledge in order to create new concepts and theories, create a product,
or solve specific problems. in contrast, transdisciplinary contributions
involve a fusion of disciplinary knowledge with the know- how of lay- people
that creates a new hybrid that is different from any specific constituent
part. Trandisciplinarity is not a process that follows automatically from the
bringing together of people from different disciplines or professions, but
requires an ingredient that some have called ‘transcendence’. it also implies
the giving up of sovereignty over knowledge, the generation of new insight
and knowledge by collaboration, and the capacity to consider the know- how
of professionals and lay- people on equal terms. Collectively, transdisciplinary
contributions enable the cross- fertilization of ideas and knowledge from
different contributors, they can lead to an enlarged vision of a subject as well
as new explanatory theories.
(Forty et al. 2006: 42)Multidisciplinarity ... refers to the connecting of contributions from several
disciplines, directed towards elucidating a common meta- level problem
complex. Various disciplines work, one could say, in parallell with regard
to each other, and each of them contribute to elucidating the potential of
one’s discipline. Multidisciplinary co- operation does not demand integration,
but the various contributions can inspire and develop the individual
contributions.^1