Disciplines and their boundaries

Vytautas Kavolis Transdisciplinary Research Institute invites academic community members to an international seminar titled “Disciplines and Their Boundaries” on 4 December 2024. This event will commemorate the methodological ideas of Vytautas Martynas Kavolis (1930-1999), a prominent émigré scientist, sociologist, and publicist who fostered an interdisciplinary approach. The event will also seek to discuss the possibilities and boundaries of transdisciplinarity in the social sciences and humanities.

Transdisciplinarity is an increasingly vital approach in the social sciences and humanities, as it fosters collaboration across disciplines to tackle complex, real-world problems. Unlike interdisciplinary work, which bridges existing academic fields, transdisciplinarity goes beyond traditional academic boundaries to integrate knowledge from diverse sectors, including community expertise, policy-making, and other non-academic contributors. However, transdisciplinarity presents significant challenges. One of the primary hurdles could be the various disciplines’ differing methodologies, languages, and epistemologies. Also, the lack of opportunities to foster transdisciplinary research may pose various challenges.

During the event, VMU professor Dr. Gintautas Mažeikis will present the trajectories of interdisciplinary methodological ideas used by Vytautas Kavolis. Event guests from the University of Helsinki Prof. Risto Kunelius, Prof. Hannu Nieminen, Dr. Pekka Mäkelä, Director of the Science and Technology Division of Taiwan Representative Office in Lithuania Prof. Da-Chuan Cheng, Prof. Gediminas Urbonas from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the Chair of Research Council of Lithuania Prof. Gintaras Valinčius and Member of the Social Sciences and Humanities Committee of RCL Prof. Saulius Keturakis will discuss how the boundaries of scientific disciplines are changing, what future challenges lie ahead for transdisciplinary research, and what models could help expand science frontiers.

Date: 4 December 2024.
Venue: BLC, Donelaičio str. 60, A-Block, Stephenson Hall.
Registration: please register for the event via this link.
Please read the full program of the event here.

More information vki[eta]vdu.lt.

Please note that the event will be filmed and/or photographed, and you may be featured in photographs or videos of the event, which may be published in various media outlets.

This event is part of the project “Strengthening of R&D activities of the Vytautas Kavolis Transdisciplinary Institute of Social and Humanities Sciences (SOCMTEP)”. The project is financed by the Research Council of Lithuania and the Ministry of Education, Science and Sports of the Republic of Lithuania, contract no. S-A-UEI-23-13 (12/27/2023). Funding Program – “University Excellence Initiative” (No. V-940).