So Grateful to have been invited to serve on a panel at a mini-conference on Transdisciplinary Research for the Institute for Transdisciplinary Futures at Washington University in St. Louis. (https://lnkd.in/dfBc3MXP)
While it was clear I was invited for my work and perspectives, I struggled to understand why I was asked and what I could possibly contribute. This isn't simply imposter syndrome creeping in, which is definitely always a piece of the puzzle due to persistent gender and racial inferiority whispers and shouts in society. It also reflects the presumed necessary push to tie innovation to personality and individuality; linking creative exploration to the self-made man. But it is also because it is necessary to iterate our language and labels as we perpetually advance. Sometimes these invisibilize our consistent story of social transformation, fueling the notion that our progress depends only on a certain few hundred years led by a narrow group of persons. Sometimes there are opportunties to tie us back to ancient pathways that got conquered out of the mix, but still inform us today. In truth, Innovation is a part of our evolutionary reality. The future builds on the past. Even if we forget the past, still, as Manulani Aluli Meyer has recounted, we are just remembering what we already knew. The upshot is this: we need new terminology, but without links to culture and context, it can get in the way of understanding.
Navigating the new-to-me term, I realized that transdisciplinary approaches seek to push beyond simple inter-departmental cooperation to spark transformative collaborations that benefit of society. That is completely my jam! And it's a whole new jam in the making -- using transdisciplinarity. Should be tasty!
Looking forward to sharing ideas and meeting new colleagues and hopefully friends tomorrow and Thursday.
Associate Consultant Intern @ Bain & Company | Double Degree CEMS Master
3moThank you, I'm so happy to be part of the Heartcore team! 🌟 Excited to contribute and grow with all of you!