Weaving new narratives for transdisciplinary sustainability research

Transdisciplinary sustainability research has grown rapidly over the last decade. It is now widely seen as a key approach to addressing the intertwined ecological, social, and political crises we face today. At the same time, many researchers experience that working transdisciplinarily has become more demanding, more politicised, and more emotionally intense. In times of polycrisis, shrinking democratic spaces, and growing pressure to demonstrate “impact”, two important questions arise: What does it mean to do transdisciplinary research in tough times? And which narratives guide our work, often implicitly, shaping what is possible, visible, and valued?