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Paradigm Found? Immanent Critique to Tackle Interdisciplinarity and Normativity in Science for Sustainable Development

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  • Chad S. Boda

    (Lund University Center for Sustainability Studies (LUCSUS), P.O. Box 170, SE-222 70 Lund, Sweden)

  • Turaj Faran

    (Lund University Center for Sustainability Studies (LUCSUS), P.O. Box 170, SE-222 70 Lund, Sweden)

Abstract

The ambition of this two-part article is to argue for immanent critique as a research strategy in sustainability studies. We do this by picking up and developing two central, cross-cutting themes in sustainability research, namely interdisciplinarity and normativity. It is widely suggested that the problem-driven and solution-focused orientation in sustainability studies necessitates interdisciplinarity and an engagement with questions of normativity, each creating problems regarding how science is conducted. For interdisciplinarity, questions remain regarding by what scientific procedure rational (i.e., non-arbitrary) interdisciplinarity can be accomplished. For normativity, it is unclear whether normativity can be addressed scientifically, or only politically; in other words, can normativity be objectively incorporated in sustainability research, and if so, how? Ultimately, the paper asks and answers the following questions: when should a researcher move from one discipline to another in sustainability research and, how do we judge the validity of the normative values that are deemed necessary for sustainability? In Part I, we show the silences, gaps, vagueness and inadequacies of how these themes are currently addressed in sustainability science literature, and from this move to propose immanent critique as a potential strategy for dealing with them in a scientific manner. In Part II, we exemplify our strategy by applying it to re-construct the debate over sustainable development, by far the most prominent topical focus in sustainability science research, producing a novel systematized typology of sustainable development approaches in the process. We conclude with reflections on how this paper amounts to an initial contribution to the construction of a Lakatosian research programme in sustainability studies.

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  • Chad S. Boda & Turaj Faran, 2018. "Paradigm Found? Immanent Critique to Tackle Interdisciplinarity and Normativity in Science for Sustainable Development," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(10), pages 1-28, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:10:y:2018:i:10:p:3805-:d:177232
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    4. Chad S. Boda & David Harnesk, 2022. "Three crucial considerations when presenting alternative paradigms in sustainability research," Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences, Springer;Association of Environmental Studies and Sciences, vol. 12(3), pages 652-656, September.
    5. Chad S. Boda & Turaj Faran & Murray Scown & Kelly Dorkenoo & Brian C. Chaffin & Maryam Nastar & Emily Boyd, 2021. "Loss and damage from climate change and implicit assumptions of sustainable development," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 164(1), pages 1-18, January.
    6. Chad S. Boda, 2019. "The road traveled and pathways forward: A review of Loss and Damage from Climate Change: Concepts, Methods and Policy Options by Mechler, R., Bouwer, L., Schinko, T., Surminski, S. & Linnerooth-Bayer,," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 156(3), pages 293-297, October.
    7. David O’Byrne & Altaaf Mechiche-Alami & Anna Tengberg & Lennart Olsson, 2022. "The Social Impacts of Sustainable Land Management in Great Green Wall Countries: An Evaluative Framework Based on the Capability Approach," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(3), pages 1-26, February.
    8. Michael Benson & Chad Boda & Runa R. Das & Leslie King & Chad Park, 2022. "Sustainable Development and Canada’s Transitioning Energy Systems," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(4), pages 1-19, February.
    9. Ulrika Persson-Fischer & Shuangqi Liu, 2021. "What Is Interdisciplinarity in the Study of Sustainable Destination Development?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(7), pages 1-28, March.
    10. Oscar Svensson & Jamil Khan & Roger Hildingsson, 2020. "Studying Industrial Decarbonisation: Developing an Interdisciplinary Understanding of the Conditions for Transformation in Energy-Intensive Natural Resource-Based Industry," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(5), pages 1-21, March.

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