Between confluence and disenfranchisement: The role of power dynamics in transdisciplinary research
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: If left unaddressed, power inequalities in transdisciplinary research can amplify the voices of those with greater access to resources, thereby reinforcing existing social disparities. This issue is particularly salient in the Latin American context, where transdisciplinary approaches commonly articulate emancipatory ambitions of centering the agency of disenfranchised communities and challenging colonial legacies of academic knowledge production. This study examines how different layers - related to race, class, gender, ethnicity, rurality, and geography, among others - structure the positions of collaborators in transdisciplinary research. Inspired by Nego Bispo's concept of "confluence," which emphasizes the coexistence of diverse knowledge systems without losing their unique identities, this article explores whether such confluence is feasible in practice. Based on a case study in Siribinha, an artisanal fishing village on the northern coast of Bahia, Brazil, we examine how power dynamics shape the interactions between community members, local policy makers, and researchers. Over the past nine years, our research team has employed participant observation, semi-structured interviews, design research methods, and arts-based methods in collaborative work in and with this community. The findings reveal that power imbalances, rooted in historical marginalization, influence who participates in decision-making processes and whose voices are heard. The community's sense of disenfranchisement is linked to the dominance of external actors in local decision making. By highlighting the nuances of power relations within this context, this study reinforces calls for a rethinking of transdisciplinary action research as inherently embedded in social and political processes.
Language: English
Subfield: Information Systems and Management
Field: Decision Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $2,180
OpenAlex ID: W4412835800