Co-creating Sustainability Science Communication Through Aesthetic Formats: This is What a Transdisciplinary Moment Looks Like

Sabrina Vitting-Seerup, Kristine Marie Berg, Elin Ferm, Laura Thinggaard Hjortkjær, Brendan Killeen, Sarah Kisbye, Jens Good Kristoffersen, Cecilie Vad Mathiesen and Marianne Achiam
Additional contact information
Sabrina Vitting-Seerup: Sabrina Vitting-Seerup, Department of Science Education, University of Copenhagen, Denmark. E-mail: svs@ind.ku.dk
Kristine Marie Berg: Kristine Marie Berg, Department of Communication, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
Elin Ferm: Elin Ferm, Norm Consulting, Copenhagen, Denmark
Laura Thinggaard Hjortkjær: Laura Thinggaard Hjortkjær, Faculty of Science, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
Brendan Killeen: Brendan Killeen, COM–Communications, European Environment Agency, Copenhagen, Denmark
Sarah Kisbye: Sarah Kisbye, Danish Society for Nature Conservation, Department of Nature Management, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
Jens Good Kristoffersen: Jens Good Kristoffersen, Section of Rhetoric, Department of Communication, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
Cecilie Vad Mathiesen: Cecilie Vad Mathiesen, NNF Center for Basic Metabolic Research, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
Marianne Achiam: Marianne Achiam, Department of Science Education, University of Copenhagen, Denmark

Journal of Education for Sustainable Development, 2023, vol. 17, issue 2, 179-199

Abstract: Sustainability science calls for new methodologies and collaborations that go beyond disciplinary boundaries. This points to a new role for sustainability science communication. Here, we explore how science communication can employ aesthetic formats (e.g., storytelling, performance, artistic installations) to promote transdisciplinary collaborations. We conducted a series of experiments in a master-level science communication course at the University of Copenhagen, engaging students, practitioners and researchers in experimental collaborations and qualitative data collection. Through thematic analysis of classroom observations and interviews, five elements of transdisciplinarity emerged: Acknowledgement of disciplinary identities, negotiation of diverse vocabularies, disruption of hierarchical structures, experience of novel insights and evident learning processes among participants. These moments challenged direct observation but became discernible through post hoc analysis. We suggest they constitute a sequence that together describes a transdisciplinary moment. We thus conclude that the aesthetic formats we employed were instrumental in disrupting conventional boundaries and enhancing collaboration across disciplines. However, we also acknowledge the complexities of achieving transdisciplinary moments and emphasize the importance of reflective practice.

Keywords: Sustainability communication; transdisciplinarity; aesthetic formats (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:sae:jousus:v:17:y:2023:i:2:p:179-199

DOI: 10.1177/09734082231222352

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