Between confluence and disenfranchisement: The role of power dynamics in transdisciplinary research

Abstract

The aim of this article is to address the tension between aspirations of transdisciplinary projects to overcome inequalities through more inclusive forms of knowledge co-creation and risks of reproducing these inequalities through power dynamics among transdisciplinary collaborators. We examine how different layers - related to race, class, gender, ethnicity, rurality, and geography, among others - structure the positions of such collaborators. Inspired by Nego Bispo's concept of “confluence,” which emphasizes the coexistence of diverse knowledge systems without losing their unique identities, this article proposes an approach that is reflective of prevailing inequalities in transdisciplinarity without giving up on the goal of co-creation. 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. Based on these findings, this study calls for an understanding that confluences of knowledge can flourish in transdisciplinary efforts despite their inherent embedment in inevitable power dynamics.