Towards a Critical Sustainability Science? Participation of Disadvantaged Actors and Power Relations in Transdisciplinary Research

Abstract

This paper presents the results of a meta-analysis conducted on 40 case studies of transdisciplinary research. First, it groups the cases according to the sustainability conception that is adopted in the project, distinguishing between approaches to sustainability that consider environmental protection alone, approaches that seek to find a balance between economic growth and environmental protection, and those which seek to integrate the social, environmental and economic aspects of sustainability. Next, the paper explores the extent to which the conception of sustainability adopted in the transdisciplinary project influences a series of process features in the projects. In particular, we focus on the extent to which the projects allowed for the participation of disadvantaged groups, the degree to which they accounted for and attempted to mitigate power differentials between participants, their embeddedness in longer-term dynamics and the heterogeneity of the actors piloting the projects. We also discuss the effects of these on the social learning and empowerment generated among participants. The paper finds that among the selected case studies, those with an integrated approach to sustainability more often included disadvantaged groups and acknowledged power differentials, applying a range of tools to mitigate these. Moreover, these cases also more often reported generating empowerment and social learning.