A summer programme that changed my perspective about research
The author attended a week-long summer programme organised by the Vulnerability to Viability (V2V) Global Partnership at the University of Waterloo, Canada, where she discovered that the essence of impactful research lies in transcending disciplinary boundaries and exploring the intangible aspects of our subjects to inspire positive change
The role of a researcher, regardless of discipline— be it social sciences, anthropology, natural sciences, linguistics, or medicine— is often perceived as straightforward: to conduct research. This involves exploring different topics, predicting trends, generating new ideas, and developing new concepts and theories.
But is that all there is to it? The essence of a researcher's work transcends these basic functions. It has multifaceted endeavours that extend far beyond mere inquiry, discovery, generating ideas and developing theories.
Recently, I participated in the week-long Krushna Chandra Jena Chilika-V2V Annual Field School on Environmental Change and Governance, organised by the Vulnerability to Viability (V2V) Global Partnership at the University of Waterloo, Canada, in collaboration with the Rakhi Centre of Excellence for the Science of Happiness at the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, and NIRMAN Odisha, India.
We must not accept what is simply served to us. Instead, we need to ask questions, generate inquiries and actively seek explanations
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This event brought together 50 participants from around the world, including MA and PhD students from various disciplines, faculty members, NGO representatives, and community members. The aim was to explore and understand the common approaches for coastal communities transitioning from vulnerability to viability in the Chilika Lagoon of Odisha, India.
As an early-career researcher in small-scale fisheries and coming from an Applied Linguistics background, I often struggle to cope with the terms and ideas of theories related to social science and sustainable development. However, my recent field visit to Chilika, where I was under the same roof with people from diverse backgrounds and disciplines and my interactions with local community members, their stories of resilience and hope related to Chilika Lagoon, showed me that one does not need a social science background to understand or research communities.
What matters most are passion, determination, devotion and commitment to the community and the people. Research isn't about sticking to your discipline and working on your zone; it's about pushing beyond them. It's about recognising your limitations and yet daring to explore the endless possibilities within those limits. It means to explore a specific topic or place but doing so in a way that allows for limitless discoveries. It is about going limitless within one's limit.
The seven-day V2V Summer School offered a transdisciplinary approach, utilising a mixed method of classroom teaching and field training. This combination helped each participant to work, explore, understand and learn the year's theme: "A Commons Approach to Coastal Communities Transitioning from Vulnerability to Viability." The V2V Summer School taught us the role and responsibilities of a researcher, the importance of community learning and the power of the environment in shaping our research and understanding.
The program taught me that as researchers, we must explore beyond the visible and focus on the intangible, the elusive, and the often-overlooked aspects of our subjects. Rather than merely exploring what is already apparent, which is what many others might do, we should venture into the unseen, unspoken, unnoticed: the invisible. This requires us to shed our biases and remove the lenses that limit our perception and creativity, which often confines us to a singular perspective.
And as Professor Prateep Kumar Nayak, Associate Professor at the University of Waterloo, mentioned, we must not accept what is simply served to us. Instead, we need to ask questions, generate inquiries and actively seek explanations and answers. We, as researchers, must strive not only for knowledge and personal growth but also for the people – understanding their needs, aspirations and challenges. By doing so, we can build a deeper connection with the people and the community; including them and empowering them and ensuring our research contributes to tangible, invisible and positive change.
Ultimately, as researchers, it is our duty to transcend the boundaries of our own disciplines and adopt a holistic approach that embraces the complexities of real-world issues, enables us to uncover the invisibles, inspire positive transformation and make a lasting difference in the lives of those we aim to support.
Sanzida Alam Lisa is a Research Assistant at the Center for Sustainable Development (CSD) and an Early Career Researcher at V2V Global Partnership. She is currently pursuing her MA in Applied Linguistics and TESOL at ULAB.
