Thinking about Complexity

Abstract

Reflecting on research on “religion” and “health” in Africa, one quickly confronts the challenge of what we might call “the complex real”. Adequately to understand and act upon the complex real requires multiple disciplines and interlocking theoretical constructs that transcend any particular discipline. Here the issue of transdisciplinarity arises and, with it, the relationship between knowledge and ethics. Does this have relevance for African Studies, where the intellectual task of asking “what do we know” is hard to separate from the practical one of asking “what should we do”? Here we pursue that question using Max-Neef’s seminal understanding of transdisciplinarity.