Transdisciplinarity has been proposed as a response to the shifting knowledge landscape in contemporary society. It promises to bring universities and other knowledge organisations into line with new demands and opportunities. In this study, we have investigated drivers of change in the shifting landscape, and note disparate drivers that plot different courses for transdisciplinarity. We describe three drivers: ‘the knowledge economy’, ‘the environmental imperative’ and ‘the engaged populace’. We discuss their different prescriptions for transdisciplinary knowledge production and contradictions that arise from these, including tensions between consolidation and interconnection, and between knowledge commodification and mutual learning. In response, we suggest that rather than investing in knowledge ‘products’, universities should focus on developing capacity for transdisciplinarity, and for knowledge production generally.

Item Type:	Refereed Article
Research Division:	Education
Research Group:	Education systems
Research Field:	Higher education
Objective Division:	Culture and Society
Objective Group:	Other culture and society
Objective Field:	Other culture and society not elsewhere classified
UTAS Author:	Carew, AL (Dr Anna Carew)
ID Code:	93553
Year Published:	2008
Web of Science® Times Cited:	103
Deposited By:	Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture
Deposited On:	2014-08-08
Last Modified:	2014-12-24
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