Crossing Boundaries in Research: Critical Reflections from an

Interdisciplinary Bastard

Alister Scott

Centre for Environment and Society Research

Tress et al 2005

Tress et al 2005

Managing Environmental Change at the Rural Urban Fringe 2010-2012

reluRural Economy and

Land Use Programme

Alister ScottClaudia Carter, Mark Reed, Peter Larkham, Nicki

Schiessel, Karen Leach, Nick Morton, Rachel Curzon

David Jarvis, Andrew Hearle, Mark Middleton, Bob

Forster, Keith Budden, Ruth Waters, David Collier,

Chris Crean, Miriam Kennet, Richard Coles and Ben

Stonyer

reluRural Economy and

Land Use Programme

To Boldly Go…

reluRural Economy and

Land Use Programme

Crossing academic, policy, practice and scalar divides

Birmingham City University -Birmingham School of the Built Environment/BIAD

University of Aberdeen -Aberdeen Centre for Environmental Sustainability

Forest Research

National Farmers Union

David Jarvis Associates

Natural England

Localise West Midlands

Green Economics Institute

Birmingham Environment Partnership

West Midlands Rural Affairs Forum

Worcestershire County Council

West Midlands Regional Assembly

United Research Team

reluRural Economy and

Land Use Programme

Seeking out new ‘lenses’

• Spatial Planning and Ecosystem Approach Paradigms (lenses)

• Critical thoughtpieces

• PI Synthesis

• Team builds new conceptual lens

Crossing and simplifying theoretical boundaries

reluRural Economy and

Land Use Programme

Seeking out evidence

• Workshops (Team led)• Visioning exercises

reluRural Economy and

Land Use Programme

Delivering Unconventional Outputs

reluRural Economy and

Land Use Programme

Delivering Unconventional Outputs

reluRural Economy and

Land Use Programme

Delivering Unconventional Outputs

reluRural Economy and

Land Use Programme

Delivering Unconventional Outputs

reluRural Economy and

Land Use Programme

Delivering Unconventional Outputs

reluRural Economy and

Land Use Programme

Delivering Unconventional Outputs

Building interdisciplinarity across the

rural domain

reluRural Economy and

Land Use Programme

• Embedding policy, practice and academia within one research team reaps rewards

• Choose who you work with carefully

• Flexibility embedded in research method

• Important for researchers to go outside comfort zone

Lessons Learnt

reluRural Economy and

Land Use Programme

• Interdisciplinary approaches needed to tackle key issues we face as a society

• Need an effective ‘bastard’ to lead interdisciplinary endeavours

• Role of a team prepared to go outside usual silos

• Are BCU structures for teaching and research enabling such approaches?

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