How To Do Things With Objects: Boundary Objects in Inter- and Transdisciplinary Marine Research

Leonie Dziomba
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Leonie Dziomba: Programme Area “Societal Impact”, Leibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Research (ZMT), Germany

Ocean and Society, 2026, vol. 3

Abstract: Marine research increasingly requires early career researchers to translate knowledge across disciplinary, institutional, and societal boundaries, often under conditions of asymmetrical power and limited training. In response, many early career researchers intuitively employ objects such as maps, models, concepts, diagrams, or tools to support participation and shared understanding, while opportunities to reflect collectively on how and why these practices work remain limited. Drawing on boundary object theory and insights from cognitive science, this article conceptualizes such objects as cognitive and social mediators that enable shared sense-making without requiring consensus. It further argues that such objects are not neutral, and that their effectiveness depends on attention to power relations, framing, and positionality within inter- and transdisciplinary marine contexts. By articulating how and why boundary objects function, this article invites early career researchers to recognize and use boundary objects intentionally, offering practical, reflexive guidance for their use in inter- and transdisciplinary marine research. In doing so, it contributes to ongoing discussions on inter- and transdisciplinary marine training by foregrounding boundary objects as a legitimate practice and inviting more intentional and reflexive engagement with it in translating marine research across science, policy, and society.

Keywords: boundary objects; interdisciplinarity; knowledge translation; ocean–society translation; reflexivity; science communication; transdisciplinarity (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:cog:ocesoc:v3:y:2026:a:12761

DOI: 10.17645/oas.12761

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