Within the 'Stadsacademie' series of Lunchtalks on transdisciplinary research, we organise our fifth lunchtalk on Monday 08.05.23: "Community Inclusion. Drawing on collective and relational approaches to broaden a discourse on rights?", a conversation with Judith McKenzie..

The challenges facing our society are urgent, complex and require more - way more - science than objective knowledge and technological ingenuity. Transdisciplinary research around concrete sustainability issues brings together a multitude of voices and perspectives to work towards answers that are as widely supported as possible. This is what the 'Stadsacademie' aims to do. But despite the obviousness of the idea, transdisciplinarity does not work by itself. How do you work together across disciplinary, social, and cultural differences? How does an integrated perspective emerge when everyone has their own view, and therefore grip on things?

In this lunchtalk session, Prof. Judith McKenzie will reflect on the involvement of "the community" in transdiciplinary research, and how it can contribute to community engagement. Ample time will be provided for open discussion with the audience.

Judith McKenzie is professor of disability studies at University of Cape Town. She is director of the Including Disability in Education in Africa (IDEA) research unit where she leads research on inclusive education and community-based inclusive development.

The concept of human rights provides an important foundation for the view that research should aim to engage citizens on issues affecting their lives. But involvement in knowledge production does not come naturally, and certainly not for individuals with complex support needs. This involves not only overcoming communication barriers, but also recognizing the state of ? "inevitable dependency. The African philosophy of Ubuntu recognizes the collective agency of people, and sees individual participation as inseparable from the individual's place in the community.
From this follows the essential question of what role the community can or should play in knowledge production on complex sustainability issues, and how individuals with complex support needs (can) also be involved.

In this presentation, Judith McKenzie will share some ideas about what community inclusion in research might entail. In doing so, she will draw on the ubuntu worldview regarding "community inclusion" and a feminist care ethic regarding "community inclusion.

Practical
Lunch will be provided.
This talk will be held in English - This talk will be held in English