Jill Theresa Messing, MSW, PhD Assistant Professor Arizona State University Intimate Partner Violence & Transdisciplinarity

Transdisciplinary Research 1. “Problem” focused Conceptualization of research questions Outcomes that it hopes to achieve 2. “Border-work” Crosses disciplinary boundaries Crosses practice–research boundaries Horlick-Jones & Sime, 2004

Traditional Research methods Discipline based Beyond multidisciplinary & interdisciplinary work Decontextualizing Not locally embedded Reductionist Capturing only part of the problem at hand Horlick-Jones & Sime (2004)

Problem Focused Oriented toward problem solving (Balsiger, 2004) Socially relevant, “real world,” complex, multidimensional, and/or contemporary problems (Klein, 1996, 2004) Problems in which “facts are uncertain, values in dispute, stakes are high and decisions urgent” (Horlick-Jones & Sime, 2004, p. 445)

Problem Focused The problem context: The broad social (or environmental) structure that created and sustains the problem (Carew & Wickson, 2010) Problems are identified by researchers in conjunction with the wider community, including nonacademic actors such as community members, practitioners, policy makers, and/or activists (Balsiger, 2004) Integrating scientific and practice-based knowledge to create solutions that can be implemented to address the social problem and work toward a “common good” (Pohl, 2011)

Border Work Crossing the borders between academic disciplines—in terms of epistemology, methodology, and the outcomes of research Contemporary social problems explode the boundaries of disciplinary thought (e.g., Carew & Wickson, 2010; Horlick- Jones & Sime, 2004; Lawrence & Despres, 2004; Nicolescu, 2005; Pohl, 2011; Ramadier, 2004; Wickson et al., 2006) Terminology: “fusion,” “transcending,” “integrating,” “beyond disciplines” = revolutionizing how we conceptualize the boundaries of disciplines (Lawrence & Despres, 2004; Nicolescu, 2005; Pohl, 2010, 2011; Ramadier, 2004)

Border Work Crossing the borders between academia & practice “Democratizing Research” = placing the knowledge of policy makers, practitioners, researchers, stakeholders, community members, and other laypersons on equal ground (Carew & Wickson, 2010, p. 1148) Collaborative, an iterative process of sharing ideas back and forth among academics and community stakeholders such that all parties experience some transformation in terms of their approach to the problem (Carew & Wickson, 2010; Pohl, 2005; Wickson et al., 2006)

Critical Perspectives Problem Focus Defining social “problems” and the “common good” Reflect broader structures of power and control in society (Hesse-Biber & Leavy, 2007; Reinharz, 1992 ) Linked to the ability to define information as “knowledge” or “facts” (DeVault, 1999) What is often described as “impartial” or “objective” research replicates “conceptual practices of power” (Smith, 1990)

Critical Perspectives Crossing Academic Boundaries Inability of some scholars to “see” the boundaries and limitations of their home disciplines The failure to incorporate the distinct use of similar terminology from another discipline The lack of institutionalized reward for cross- disciplinary collaboration The problem of disciplinary dominance Allen & Kitch, 1998; Caudill & Roberts, 1951; Dubois, Kelly, Kennedy, Korsmeyer, & Robinson, 1988; Klein, 1990; Sharland, 2011

Critical Perspectives Crossing Research-Practice Boundaries Power dynamics inherent in the identification of “the community,” its “needs,” and what constitutes the “common good.” What does it mean to work with the community? Can one community identify urgent social problems affecting another community?

Is Transdisciplinarity New / Different? Social Work Research Problem Focus Cross Academic Boundaries Cross the Research-Practice Divide Feminist research (and others) Community-based research methodologies (“feminist research,” “community research,” “participatory action research,” or “action research”)

Special Issue of Violence Against Women Gender Violence & Transdisciplinarity Jill Theresa Messing Madelaine Adelman Alesha Durfee

Thank you! Questions? Ideas!